That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a SYN
by ShaggyDiz
Summary: Gohan goes to high school, where he meets new friends...and new enemies. *Chapter titles added* *Chapter 7* Gohan fights to saves Shinji's life, and Videl makes what could be a costly decision...
1. I:I In the Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.  End of discussion.

A/N: Before I start, I'd like to inform everyone that I'm putting my other DBZ fic, The Dark Hammer Saga, on temporary hiatus.  I am not suffering from any kind of writer's block.  I just haven't got the drive to continue on with it.  I know what to do with it but right now I don't want to continue with it.  I will eventually though.  Right now I'm starting with a new story.  It's G/V, like all others.  It's going to start at the point where Gohan starts high school.  So sit back and enjoy, and review at the end of it.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic by ShaggyDiz

Chapter One

                **BEEP!**

                **BEEP!**

**                BEEP!**

**                SLAM!**

                That was the sound of the alarm clock, with the resulting sound of a fist slamming down upon it.  Gohan did not like it one bit, however.  Sure, it was 6:00 AM 439 Mountain Area Time – which, coincidentally, was the same as Satan City time [1] – but it was still early for the teenage Saiyan.  Still, getting up early was the norm, but today was different.

                Today began a new adventure in the life of Son Gohan.  Today was his first day of actual high school.  He had spent many years before under the tutelage of his mother, Chichi, learning a great deal of things.  Algebra, physics, advanced chemistry; you name it, he knows it.

                Of course, there was a reason why his mom told him this two weeks ago…

…

                …_"Gohan!  I've decided to enroll you into a high school."_

_                "Really mom?  You're the best!"_

_                "Don't worry about it son.  I figure that it would allow you the chance to make some friends that are your own age.  That and the fact that colleges probably don't accept resumes from Son Chichi Home Schooling."_

_                "He, he.  Yeah mom.  Maybe you should get that trademarked.  You would honestly make a great teacher in a high school or university."_

_                "I know son.  But my life is better spent here, keeping you and your little brother out of trouble.  Now come on.  I've arranged for a trip to the city with Bulma to get you some clothes."_

_                "Thanks mom."…_

…

                That trip had gone smoothly.  Gohan had picked out some good clothes that were loose fitting, allowing him to hide his lean, muscular figure.  But that was two weeks ago.

                And this is now.  Gohan groggily turned so that he was looking up at the ceiling.  All he could think about was the first day of real school.  And how tired he was at the moment.  He tried to sit up, but couldn't, stuck on his bed by some unknown force of gravity.  That force of gravity was by his doing though.  He was ready to try again, when he heard a timid knock on his door.  He turned his head towards it.

                "Come on in," he said.  The door opened slowly, and all that Gohan could see from his vantage point was a forehead, and some spiky black hair.  The forehead with hair moved towards the bed until it was right next to it.  "What is it Goten?" Gohan asked the forehead.  It moved up some, revealing black eyes and a cute little nose.  It was Goten, standing on his toes looking at his brother.

                "Mom wants you to go get ready for school.  She said something about Flying Nimbus taking an hour or so to get there."

                "That's right.  I completely forgot!  All right Goten, you go tell mom that I'll be downstairs in about fifteen minutes for breakfast, okay?" Gohan said, ruffling his younger brothers hair.

                "Okay!" he chirped.  He quickly turned and bolted out of the room, leaving Gohan by himself.  He sat up on his bed, feeling that self-made gravity dissipate into nothing.  He scanned around the room for a moment before settling his eyes on his towel.  Tossing the covers to the side, Gohan stood up and picked up the towel.  His tail followed behind him, flowing freely from his shorts.  He looked behind him and saw it, chuckling a little.  Vegeta was rather…perplexed, to say the least, about Gohan growing back his tail two years after the birth of his brother.  He decided to keep it as a reminder of his father.  That, and because no one outside of his entourage of friends and fellow fighters knew about boys with monkey tails.

                That was well before he knew that he would be going to high school.

                Gohan started off the day with a hot shower, letting the marginal warmth settle in his bones.  After ten minutes, he returned to his room to prepare for the day.  He picked out for himself a pair of black khakis, a white long sleeve shirt and a blue vest.  He wore a pair of cotton boxer shorts and a sleeveless shirt underneath.  The whole process took him about twenty minutes.  He went downstairs to be greeted happily by his mother.

                "Hi mom!"

                "Good morning, Gohan.  You all ready?"

                "I think so mom," Gohan responded.  He walked over to the table and sat down, awaiting his morning serving of breakfast.

                "Well make sure you double check everything before you leave.  I don't want you to forget anything."

                "Okay mom.  Just let me finish breakfast."  And so he did.  The rest of it went in relative silence, with the occasional burp and/or slurp coming from Gohan and Goten.  It was soon 6:45, and classes started shortly after 8:15.  Gohan made one last check of his school supplies before heading out.  He passed by Goten before exiting.

                "Hey Goten.  Be good for mom today, okay?"

                "Okay Gohan!  I'll see ya when you get home today!"

                "All right squirt.  Take care now," Gohan said, and stepped outside of the house.  His mother was waiting there.

                "Okay Gohan, make sure you behave yourself, and make some friends while you're there."

                "I will mom.  Thanks," he said.  They hugged each other for a moment before Gohan turned to the sky.  "FLYING NIMBUS!" he yelled out.  He waited for a few seconds before spotting a small speck of yellow streaking in from the horizon.  The speck turned into a seat-sized cloud as it rapidly approached Gohan.  It arrived and Gohan quickly hopped on top.  "Bye mom!  See ya later!" he shouted out, flying away on top of the Nimbus cloud.  Chichi waved to him then returned to the house, looking forward to all the wonderful things Gohan would say about his first day of school.

* * *

                The flight to Satan City was relaxing and scenic.  Gohan, over the years, rarely made his way through these parts.  The exception was two weeks ago when he was with his mom and Bulma shopping.  Before that…well who knows.  The constant studying has kept Gohan away from the outside world, except for his own expanded back yard, filled with the craziest wonders, such as dinosaurs and the like.

                Yet as he reached the outskirts of Satan City, Gohan could feel something different about the air.  No longer was the life in the mountains the only one he knew.  He had to become adjust to life inside the city, one where the people can act in many strange ways depending on the traffic report.  At least that is what it's brought up to be.  There was also the vast amount of people there and the tall buildings, some which could be seen for miles.  But Gohan wasn't concerned about them.

                He was worried about the hallways of Orange Star High School.

                He was worried about the vast number of teenagers there, and how they would react to a tail swinging half-alien.

                _Boy, would they like to know._

                Gohan pretty much had nothing to worry about.  His mom gave him three instructions.  One, make friends.  Two, hide strength.  Three: make sure no one sees tail.  There was an unofficial fourth instruction, which was to do good there.  Number three would be easy, as well as number four.  There was the problem with the first two though.  The first one should be easy enough though, since Gohan was rather friendly, and therefore should be able to make friends with other kids quickly.  The hiding of strength would prove more difficult, but it would be attainable.

                It was now 7:50.  Gohan landed on the outskirts of the city and began a brisk jog towards OSHS.  The school itself was about two miles inside the city limits, which would take Gohan, being the equivalent of a superior Olympic athlete, no more than seven or eight minutes, without breaking a sweat.  Classes wouldn't start for another twenty-five minutes anyway.

                He jogged until he was a few blocks away from the high school.  From there, he slowed his jog down to a walk, as to not been seen as someone rushing to school with about fifteen minutes left before classes began.  After a couple blocks, Gohan turned a corner to see the school.  _Wow!  This place is pretty big!_  He stared at it for what seemed like an hour, but really was only ten or twelve seconds.  Pulling himself out of his self imposed trance, he made his way towards what appeared to be the front doors.  He went inside and saw a large amount of students already pacing the hallways.  Gohan wandered around a bit, looking for the main office.

                Being Gohan on his first day of school, he got lost.

                Frantically, he started whipping his head around, looking for anything resembling a main office.  He walked backwards a few steps before bumping into something small.  Make that someone small.

                "Hey, watch where you're going!" the voice yelled, obviously female.  Gohan turned around to see the girl on the floor.  She had short blond hair and blue eyes.

                "Um…sorry about that.  I'm trying to find the main office," Gohan said with a somewhat nervous voice.

                "Well why do you want to go there for?" the blond asked.

                "It's my first day, and I want to get my schedule and locker."

                "Why didn't you say so then?" she said, excited to an extent.  Gohan looked at her, still nervous but now confused as well.  She stuck out her hand to him.  "Do you want to help me up, or would you rather look for the office by yourself and continue to be lost?"

                "Oh, right!"  Gohan stuck out his hand and pulled the girl up.

                "By the way, the names Erasa," the now identified girl said.

                "Gohan.  Thank you for helping me."

                "Sure," she said with a sly smile on her face.  _He sure is a cute one._  The two proceeded down a long series of hallways, some of which Gohan had been down – at least twice – before coming upon the main office.

                "You know…I think I passed by this room."  Erasa giggled at his comment.

                "Well Gohan, I hope to see you around school sometime," she said, and walked off towards her classroom.

                "Thanks Erasa!" he called back.  _Wow…she was nice.  I guess these kids aren't so bad after all._  He walked into the room and saw that he was the only student there.  He walked up to the reception desk and saw a short lady sitting there.

                "Hello there.  How may I help you?" she said, rather happily.

                "Hi…I'm new here, and I need my schedule and my locker."

                "Okay.  Name please."

                "Oh, right.  Son Gohan…" The receptionist typed up the name onto her computer.

                "Son Gohan…Son Gohan.  Ah, here we are.  I'll print it out for you.  It will have your room assignment as well as your locker number and combination."

                "Thank you."

                "No problem…well this is interesting."

                "What is it?" Gohan asked, getting slightly nervous again.

                "It says here that you aced all of your entrance exams.  Now that's a first," she said, looking up at him.  "I'm impressed.  Who was your teacher?"

                "My mom.  She made it a big deal for me to study real hard.  That and she wants me to be a scholar or something."

                "Well, you came to the right place.  Orange Star High is one of the best schools in the region.  It's good to have this on your college resume."

                "That's good," he said, now somewhat excited.  The receptionist suddenly turned to her printer.  She pulled out a paper and looked over it briefly.

                "Here we go.  You'll be in that room for all of your classes except Physical Education – " she was cut off by the sound of the first bell.  A few seconds later, a girl came running into the office.

                "Mrs. Apple…I need a note for class," the black haired girl said, slightly panting.

                "What's the excuse this time?" the receptionist asked, slightly annoyed.

                "Oh…just the routine robbery.  It took a bit longer than expected."

                "That's all right.  I'll just write you a note."  She picked up a pen and paper and started writing before looking up to see that Gohan was still in the room.  "Oh…Gohan, I think this young lady is in your room.  What room is it again?"

                "Um…" He looked over the paper for a moment, looking for the word 'ROOM' and its corresponding number.  "Room 235."

                "Ah, yes.  You two are in the same class together.  Well, here you go Miss Satan.  And take him with you.  He seemed to be a bit lost this morning."

                "Very well."  She grabbed the note and them turned to the exit.  This was the first time that she got a good look at Gohan.  "So…"

                "Oh!  I'm Gohan," he quickly spurted out.

                "…Gohan, I guess I'll be taking you to the classroom.  Follow me then."  The two exited the main office.  They engaged in a bit of small talk along the way.

                "So, Gohan…where did you transfer from?"

                "Me, oh.  I didn't transfer.  I was home schooled by my mom."

                "That's cool.  Oh, I didn't formerly introduce myself.  I'm Videl."  Gohan reached his hand across to her.  She happily took it, and they shook hands.

                "The lady back there…she said something about Satan…"

                "Oh, my full name is Videl Satan.  Hercule is my dad."  Gohan raised an eyebrow to that.

                "That's…interesting," he said, smirking.

                "Huh?" Videl sputtered out, confused to Gohan's smirk.

                "Oh, it's nothing."  _Whew.  That was a close one._

                "Um…okay then.  Well, here's our room."  She reached for the door and pulled it open.  Inside the room was total pandemonium.  Kids were sitting in various places – namely either on the floor or their desks, not their seats – and going about various gossip and such.  Of course, that all ended the moment Videl walked into the room.

                You see; everyone respected Videl.  You could either like her or hate her, but there was no way around being disrespectful.  Of course, being the daughter of the World Champion Hercule made the most out of that respect.  That was one thing that Videl hated.  She hated the fact that everyone wanted to know her because of her loud mouth father.  She wanted to be her own person with her own type of fame.  She began volunteering for Satan City Police a couple years ago to kick start that.

                She also did it because of what happened to her mother…

…

                …_Fourteen-year-old Videl came home one day from school to see her father sitting on the couch in the lobby room.  His head hung down until he heard the door close.  Hercule looked up to see his daughter walking towards him.  He had a single tear coming from his left eye._

_                "Dad…dad, what's wrong?" Videl asked, confused.  She had never seen her father cry before, so seeing him now truly meant that something was wrong._

_                "Videl…it's…it's your mother," he started.  "She was attacked in-in the city.  The police…they found her unconscious and raped."  Videl stood shocked at this.  She hadn't seen her mother in awhile.  Her parents were currently separated and were barely speaking at the time.  Her father's reaction to this surprised her enormously.  After what seemed like forever she fell to her knees and started crying.  She stayed there, with her hands on her face, balling her eyes out.  Hercule got up from his seat and kneeled on the floor next to her, taking her into his arms to comfort her.  She spoke up after a few minutes of crying._

_                "Where…is she…now?" she asked, sobbing._

_                "Satan City Hospital.  I've been waiting for you to get home so we can go.  Now come on.  We must be strong for your mother.  You know she wouldn't like that any other way."_

_                "I…know"…_

…

                Videl's mother remains at Satan City Hospital to this day.  She was conscious once, a few hours after the attack, and got a few words with her daughter before falling back into unconsciousness.

                She lies in the hospital bed, unmoving for the last three years.  Videl makes it a promise to visit two, possibly three times a week after school to see her.  She goes in hope of one day seeing her mom wake up, so that she can hold her like she always did before the attack happened.

                A few weeks after the attack happened was when Videl made a drastic change in her life.  She began an immediate training increase, pushing herself beyond her normal limits, making herself much more stronger.  She became infuriated with her father because of his continued 'extra curricular' affairs with other women, many that he had met right off of the street.  She found a goal because of this.  Videl promised herself – and her mother – that one day she would become stronger than her father, and therefore defeat him in battle.

                She passed that goal only after a year of training.  Videl did not know that fact though.

                Her morning had gotten off to a good start, as she quickly made her way downtown in her bright yellow copter to stop a robbery.  It was the usual fanfare to her: five men, all heavily armed.  She had managed to defeat them all with marginal difficulty.  She rushed to school, and upon arriving there, her day took a slightly odd turn.

                That odd turn, by the way, was Gohan, and his reaction to finding out that she is the daughter of Hercule.  She also noticed a strange fuzzy belt wrapped around himself.  She decided not to pursue both, since she had only met him only minutes before.

                The two had arrived at the classroom.  Videl walked up to the teacher, the old one, and handed him the note.  She said something to him before taking her seat.  The teacher turned to Gohan, who remained in the doorway.

                "Are you going to stand there all day or am I going to have to drag you in here?" the teacher asked, somewhat sarcastic.  Gohan turned a little red and walked into the room.  "Now students, I'd like you to meet Gohan.  This bright young man here got perfect grades here on all his entrance exams.  It would be nice if _one_ of you would follow in his example.  Now Gohan, say hi."  Gohan looked at him confused before returning to the class.  Everyone had his or her eyes on him.

                "Um…hi?" he said weakly.  Up in the seats, Erasa was grabbing a hold of Videl's arm, pulling her close to whisper something.

                "Videl…eek!"

                "What is it?"

                "That boy…I bumped into him this morning…eek!"

                "And your point?"

                "He's so cute!"  Videl could only stare dumbfounded at her.  Erasa immediately saw this and went right to work.  "You mean you didn't see?!?  You practically walked with him to class!  You didn't notice how adorably cute that boy looks?"

                "Well…now that you mention it…"

                "Videl, you need help."

                "I don't need help!" she practically shouted.  Everyone in the class diverted their attention from Gohan to Videl.  "What?!" she yelled out.  Everyone immediately went back to his or her business before Videl and Gohan originally came.  She returned her attention to Erasa.  "There was one thing."

                "What is it?" Erasa asked.  Before Videl could respond, the girls heard the teacher tell Gohan to find a seat.  Erasa, being Erasa, took this as a perfect opportunity to get Gohan to sit next to her.  She stood up and waved her hand maniacally.  The teacher took notice.

                "What is it Erasa?"

                "Gohan can sit here!  There's a seat open here!  See, see!"  She sounded like she was begging for Gohan to sit next to her.  Gohan looked up and immediately recognized her as the girl he bumped into earlier.

                "Son, do you want to sit next to her?" the teacher asked in a hushed voice.

                "I guess.  She doesn't sound too bad to sit next to.  I already met her today."

                "Oh, well…if you don't care, then you might as well.  Go right on up son."

                "Thank you sir."  Gohan walked up the stairs to his seat.  He sat down with a rather goofy look on his face, primarily because of Erasa's behavior.  "Why hello, Erasa.  I'm surprised to see you again so soon."

                "Me either," she said with a starry look in her eyes.  Videl could only sigh behind her.  Gohan noticed her and waved.

                "Hey Videl!  I guess you sit here too, huh?"

                "Yup."  She returned her gaze back to the front of class.  Gohan and Erasa did the same, though the blonde made it an effort to get her seat close enough to Gohan.  A blonde boy spoke up from the right of Videl.

                "Hey Videl, who's that nerd boy over there?" he spoke, loud enough only for Videl to hear.  Gohan threw a questioning glance down at Videl, who didn't see.  _I wonder what 'nerd boy' means._

                "He's Gohan.  He just started here today, so don't give him any crap," she said, getting a small chuckle from Gohan behind them.  _Wow, she's tough.  Tough for a 'Satan' that is._

                The rest of the class was pretty much uneventful.  The teacher mumbled on about some math functions for a good hour before the class bell rung.  By that time nearly everyone was asleep.  Gohan stayed up, listening to stuff that he had already been taught for years before this.  Videl was one of the few people that had stayed up, taking notes and listening to nearly every word that was said.  Sharpener was busy flexing his somewhat abnormally large arms, bringing attention to Gohan.  Gohan, of course, could only think of one other person who would be obsessed with flexing their somewhat…abnormally…large arms.  But that wasn't important at the moment.

                The bell rang at the end of class, and the teacher left.  The next teacher came in and settled down, letting the class talk freely for the next five minutes.  Gohan kept to himself, listening in on conversations that were taking place in opposite corners of the room, figuring out the way the kids went about their lives.  Most of them went on about apparent gossip, like girls kissing guys and guys being large armed jocks.  Of course, Gohan wondered why Videl talked with Sharpener.  He figured through the various discussions in the class that Sharpener himself was a jock, yet Videl didn't seem to like any of that.  Videl looked to Gohan that she didn't like the blonde at all, listening to the way they talk about their lives.  Soon the class started, which was a type of language arts class.  That class itself went off rather uneventful for the next hour.

                During that hour Gohan decided to play 'Spot People's Ki Levels'.  He hadn't been doing a whole lot of that recently, because of his studying.  He was more adept to people with rather enormous energy levels, even some with abnormally large levels.  He could pick his mother out of a crowd of a thousand – blindfolded – if he had to.  But now he was stuck in a crowd where nearly everyone had a rather weak energy level.  He noticed the jocks, the stronger ones, had some sort of ki.

                He got his surprise when he found the largest ki level in the school.  He found it two seats to his right in the form of Videl Satan.  Gohan found that she had a rather large energy level for a human her size and age.  Then again, size doesn't matter with people and energy.  _Hmm, I'll ask her at some later time about her training.  She could get a whole lot stronger with some of my training.  Or Piccolo's._

                After an hour, the language arts class concluded, with the sound of the bell.  The teacher, another male one, packed up and left, and a female one came in and settled down.  Gohan took this time to look up at the clock.  It read 10:26.  _Damn, this is going slow.  I wonder when lunch is._  He reached into his bag and pulled out his schedule.  Erasa leaned into him at this time.

                "What you looking at?" she asked, curious.

                "Oh!  You startled me."

                "Sorry.  So what you looking at?"

                "This…oh, it's my schedule.  I want to see when lunch is."  He went back to looking at the schedule.

                "You know, you could of asked me.  It's the period after this one.  It runs from 11:30 to 12:15."

                "Cool.  Thank you."

                "Yup.  And next time, join in the discussion," she said with a giggle.

                "What you mean by that?"

                "Well, I saw you looking around during the last five minute break.  You listening around or something?"

                "You _could_ say that."  Erasa giggled again.

                "Okay Gohan.  Just remember, we're hear if you want to talk to us."

                "Okay.  Thanks Erasa."  The bell rang, signaling the beginning of third period, also known as physics.

* * *

                The period known as lunch could not have come any faster for Gohan.  The hour in physics seemed to take days, which only made is slightly growing appetite even worse.  He had promised his mom the day before that he wouldn't go and eat a huge amount of food.  The breakfast he had earlier was close to twice the amount of food he normally had.

                He arrived at the lunchroom to find a large amount of students already there.  Looking around, he saw that this was the second largest room in the entire school, with the gymnasium being the only room larger than this [2].  There were several lines already formed at the various food stands.  Some kids went for pizza while others went to the pasta line.  Gohan took his pick of both the pasta line and then the grilled food line, otherwise known as the hamburger and hot dog stand.  Satisfied with the pile of spaghetti, the two cheeseburgers and two hot dogs, he grabbed a couple of sodas, paid for them, and went to a secluded spot near a corner of the room.  He wasn't all too talkative yet with other students, so he knew that he was better off sitting by himself before becoming acquainted with others.  

That and most of the students in the room he was in didn't like him.  He had found out while listening to several people's conversations that there was a type of social ladder in the school.  From listening, he found that he was considered somewhere near the lowest rung of the ladder, probably a 'dork' or 'loser', which no one associated with.  He didn't mind that at all.  He saw that most people, either the jocks or cheerleaders, seemed to think that they were the king – or queens - of the crop.  He decided to make a small comparison list between this and Saiyan society.  He figured that he – in Vegeta's words – was a '3rd-class warrior', and that the people that thought so highly of themselves would be 'Saiyan elites'.  There were some other '3rd-class warriors' in the school as well as the middle rung of people, namely those who didn't associate themselves with either the '3rd-class warriors' or the 'Saiyan elites'.

                As he looked around he spotted Videl and Erasa with their lunches.  Gohan figured that those two would be good to talk to, since he can find out a lot of stuff about the school from them.  He waited a bit until he saw Erasa practically drag Videl to a table of her liking – namely boys with abnormally large arms.  Gohan studied this for a few minutes while eating his lunch.  He watched as three of the boys went in some kind of flexing fit, trying to grab the attention of Videl and Erasa.  Erasa, he noted, went all-gaga eyed over the scene, while Videl looked ready to throw up.  After a few minutes he went back to his food, intent on finishing it without hesitation.

                What he didn't notice was the fact that Videl started to stare at him after he was done.  She had got the feeling a moment before that someone was watching her, but wasn't entirely sure.  She found where Gohan was sitting, in a far corner, recluse to himself.  She took this as the perfect time to get more acquainted with the person that would have Erasa go weak in the knees for the duration of the school year.  Videl excused herself from the table, much to the disappointment of Erasa and the surrounding boys with abnormally large arms.  She heard comments of 'Call me' and 'Don't forget our date tonight' while leaving the table.  Nasty thoughts of maiming and dismembering entered Videl's head for a brief second.

                Gohan finished up his lunch and began to look over his homework for the night.  It was rather easy, figuring that his mother had taught him the majority of the stuff several years ago.  _Might as well do this and get it out of the way_, he thought to himself.  _I should be happy though.  Mom did a great job of teaching me and now she gave me the chance to meet people._  He was thinking a little too hard at the moment, for he didn't notice the rather large ki heading in his direction.  Not until a small shadow extended over the top of his papers did he notice that someone had came over.  Gohan looked up to see the blue-eyed, blacked haired beauty known as Videl.

                "Mind if I joined you?" she asked.

                "Nope," he responded, and let out a slight hand gesture, telling her to take a seat.  "What happened with the people you were sitting next to?"  The question caused Videl to snarl a little bit.

                "Oh…them.  I prefer to have my brain cells intact, if you know what I mean."  Gohan looked over to the table where she was before.  He took a second to see the boys flex themselves again.  He returned his gaze to Videl.

                "I see what you mean," he said, snickering.  Videl chuckled a bit as well.  "Why do you sit with them anyway?"

                "It's Erasa.  She insists that I sit with her and that means sitting with a bunch of jocks everyday.  It changes all the time, so I think I've sat with pretty much every football player in this school at lunch."

                "I see."

                "I think they already placed you in the lowest rung of the school ladder society."

                "So you've heard, huh?"  She laughed a little.

                "Don't worry about it.  Just do me a favor and stay away from the bullies.  I'd hate to have to save you everyday."  Gohan looked a bit confused by this.  He decided to gain further knowledge.

                "What do you mean?"

                "What do you mean, 'What do you mean'?  They'll come along and beat you up for your lunch money if you're not careful.  I can't watch the whole school you know."  She was a bit peeved at the moment.  _Why would he ask such a dumb question?_

                "Oh, okay.  I think I'll be able to take care of myself though."  The comment got a strange, cock-eyed look from Videl.

                "I'm sorry, but you?  You don't look like much you know."

                "I know, but looks can be deceiving sometimes," he said with a smirk.  Videl laughed a little bit.

                "Gohan, you are a strange one.  And since we're in the same classroom for the year, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get to know you," she said, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.  "I don't have very many friends, just to let you know.  Most of the people that claim to be my friends only do it because my dad is Hercule."  Gohan, like earlier, laughed, but kept it within himself.  "Erasa is an exception.  She's been a friend of mine ever since we were little.  She is an airhead sometimes, but overall she's nice.  She's been looking at you a lot."

                "She has?" Gohan asked sounding surprised.

                "Don't you tell me that!  Man, Gohan.  It'll be a tough year if you don't catch onto things quick."

                "Okay.  What about Sharpener?  You talk to him a lot and yet from what I hear, you don't like him a whole lot."

                "What?  You were eavesdropping on our conversations?"

                "Don't worry.  I listened to some conversations this morning during the breaks.  Erasa already caught me doing it anyway.  I did it because I wanted to learn about things that people talk about."

                "How much you hear?"

                "Enough to make me throw up."  Videl laughed out loud with the comment.  No one heard her except for Gohan.

                "Don't worry Gohan.  Just make sure you stay away from them and you'll survive, o – oh great."

                "What is it?"  Videl turned and looked in the direction of where she was sitting at before.  She saw Erasa and the three jocks coming their way.

                "It's Erasa, and from the looks of it, she brought along some of her boyfriends," she said lightly.  Gohan snickered a bit at the statement.

                "Hi Videl!  Hi Gohan!  What you talking about?" the blonde cheerfully asked.

                "Oh, nothing really.  We were just talking about the school and stuff," Videl answered.  Gohan looked over to her and Erasa, and then to the football players, who seemed to be giving Gohan threatening stares.  Gohan cringed a bit but passed it off as nothing.

                "Well Gohan, Videl and I have something to talk about.  We'll see you later," Erasa said, taking Videl's arm and dragging her body behind it.  Videl could only give a short wave before she was out of sight.

                Gohan went to packing his stuff up when he noticed that the three jocks that accompanied Erasa remained at the table.  He looked up to see two of them come up to his left and right, and the third one, the biggest of the three, standing directly across from him.  He lunged out and took Gohan by his vest and lifted him up, them pulled him close to his face.

                "You listen here nerd.  You stay away from Videl.  Us football players have been trying year in and year out to go out on a date with Videl and meet her father.  Don't come here and make all…all…what's the word?"

                "Fancy?" said the boy to Gohan's left.

                "Yeah, that's it.  Don't came and make all fancy with the lady.  She's ours, and no skinny nerd will come and take her away."  He threw Gohan back into his seat, and then gestured to his lackeys.  They walked away, towards the exit.  Gohan stared them down for a few seconds before getting a small smile on the corner of his mouth.  He chuckled lightly before packing up his things.

* * *

                "YOU DID WHAT?"  The sound of a pissed off Videl resonated throughout the bathroom, which, serving as a rather nice acoustic area, could have been heard from three rooms away.  She was yelling at Erasa, who had just found out why she was taken to the bathroom after a nice talk with Gohan.

                "Don't worry Videl!  I only had them scare Gohan.  We don't want to give him the wrong ideas now, would you?" she said, waving her arms around in defense.

                "Erasa.  I was having a nice conversation with Gohan.  We were talking about school!  Are you freaking nuts?!" she said, fuming.  "I'm not interested in a boyfriend, if that's where you're getting to," Videl stated, accusingly pointing her finger at Erasa.

                "Oh come on Videl!  You need a boyfriend!  This is your last year of high school and you having even kissed one person yet!"

                "Because everyone that wants to just wants to kiss the daughter of the world champion!"

                "Well it's not my fault you are the daugh-"

                "Shut up Erasa!  Shut up!  Don't finish that!"

                "All right.  All right.  I won't."

                "Good."

                "I want Gohan."

                "Go get him.  I'm not interested in him like that."

                "Just like that?  You're getting soft Videl."

                "I am not!  I don't need anyone!  Just myself.  Besides, after all this crap my dad has done these last few years, I'm positive I don't need anyone."

                "Speaking of which, when you going again?"

                "Today."

                "Mind if I come along?"  Videl thought to herself for a moment.

                "Sure.  I can use the company for once."

                "What about Gohan?"

                "What about him?"

                "Can he come too?"

                "No.  I barely know him.  Maybe in a month or so I'll take him.  Not now though."

                "When's the bell going to ring?"

                "Let me see."  Videl looks down to her watch.  "About five minutes."

                "I hate PE."

                "I know you do Erasa.  You've said that for nine years now."

                "I have?"

* * *

                "Attention students!  Today we will be playing baseball.  But first, all of you go run a lap on the track!"  Groans echoed throughout the crowd of students.  It was PE, and the first thing they always did for the hour was take a lap around the track.  Sure it sucks.  It doesn't suck as much as cramping up playing baseball though.  "Gohan, you come here."  Gohan walked over to the PE teacher, while the rest of the class went off to the track.

                "Yes sir?"

                "Gohan, since this is your first day of PE, it is required that you take certain tests of fitness."

                "Certain tests of fitness?" Gohan asked with a naïve look.

                "Yes son.  We do it so that we can assess the fitness level of all our students here.  We need to make sure that we're doing our jobs correctly."  Gohan nodded in agreement.  "Today you will be running the mile and doing sit-ups and push-ups.  You can run the mile, can you?"

                "Yes sir."

                "Good.  I'd hate to call out the doctor because you keeled over on the track.  It has happened once or twice before.  No one died though, which is good."  Again, Gohan nodded.  "Okay, so let's go down to the track and I'll time you."  The two walked down to the track, located on the west side of the campus.  By the time they got there, most of the students had finished their lap.  The PE teacher took charge there.

                "All right kids.  Go over to the field, do some stretches and play some ball.  Sharpener and Videl; you're the captains."  The students did what they were told.  The teacher went back to Gohan, who was doing some standing stretches on his own.

                "Now son, this is a quarter-mile track.  You will be required to run this four times.  You got that?"  Gohan nodded.  "Good.  The line is over there.  You can start yourself at any time, and I'll clock you on your first forward movement."

                Over on the baseball field, Videl, Erasa and Sharpener were sitting on the grass, performing various stretches.  They watched as Gohan began his mile run.

                "Look at him run," Erasa said, kicking off the conversation.

                "Humph.  What's so special about a nerd boy running?"  Sharpener quipped.

                "He's going pretty fast.  He better be careful, and not get winded so soon," Videl said, following Gohan with her eyes, watching him pass the halfway point of the first lap.

                "Why you worrying about him, babe?"

                "Don't call me 'babe', and I'm not worried about him."  Erasa chuckled lightly and leaned in close to Videl.

                "You sure about that?"

                "Erasa.  Don't get me started," Videl stated, becoming red with anger.

                "Okay, okay."  She returned her eyes to Gohan, who completed the first lap.  "Hey, just how much time has passed so far down on the track?"  Videl returned her look to the track, and was astonished at the sight.

                "Don't tell me he did that in under a minute thirty."

                "Nerd boy ran a lap in ninety seconds?"

                "More like seventy-five to me.  He doesn't look to be slowing down either.  But how?"

                "You sound worried, Videl," the blonde said.

                "I do.  How can he run that?  Look now, he's way passed the halfway point of the second lap."

                "I see.  What a cutie."

                "Who cares about nerd boy…"

                "Shut up, Sharpener!" the girls shouted.

                "Shutting up."  The three remained silent for another two minutes.  By then, Gohan was passing the halfway point of the last lap.  All three jaws were hanging off their faces.

                "Videl?"

                "Yeah Erasa?"

                "How…much…time?"

                "About four minutes and…forty seconds?"

                "Okay."

                Back on the track, Gohan finished his mile run.  He completed it in four minutes, fifty-two seconds.  The PE teacher was surprised, nonetheless.  "Son…that was one of the quickest miles I have ever seen.  You should try out for track and field."

                "Thanks, but I live pretty far from here.  I don't want to make my mom worry all the time."

                "That's quite all right son.  I guess we can go up to the baseball field.  You can do sit-ups and push-ups in the next PE class, on Wednesday."

                "Thank you sir."

                "Good.  Now let's play baseball."

                Baseball.  The word echoed in Gohan's mind for a few moments.  He realized something then.

                "Um, sir.  I don't know how to play baseball."  This got a look from the teacher.

                "You don't?"  Gohan shook his head.  "That's quite all right.  How about I put you on a good team, so that you can learn from them a bit?"

                "Sounds good sir."

                "Okay then."  The two reached the rest of the class on the field.  By then, most selections were done.  Gohan was the only one who hadn't been chosen and Videl's team was short one person.  Naturally, Gohan went to Videl's team.  Whether it being the team needing him or Erasa's constant giggling, we'll never know.  Gohan told Videl that he didn't know anything about the game.  Naturally, he went into right field.

                At least it kept him away from Erasa's giggling.

                Now Gohan went into right field, glove on his left hand, holding it up at chest level, while keeping an eye on the game at hand.  Videl was the pitcher, and she quickly got two strikeouts.  The third batter, a baseball player for the school, singled to left to get onto base.  That brought Sharpener to bat.  Sharpener was a multi sport student, playing football in the fall, baseball in the spring and boxing whenever he gets the chance to.  He is one of the best players in school.  Going up against Videl would be a challenge to him, since she is a good pitcher in her own right.

                He wasn't planning on holding back anything today though.  The count quickly went against him, as it was one ball to two strikes.  Intent on rocketing the next pitch, he deepened his stance, preparing to swing at the fastball coming his way.  It came as a curveball, but it made no difference to Sharpener.  He connected and knew right away it was at least a double.  He took two steps before he saw where it was going, which was right field.

                And Gohan.

                _Scratch that double.  Make it an inside the park homerun._

                Sharpener didn't count on what was happening next.  For starters, Gohan got a late jump on the ball.  He didn't see it until he heard the crack of the ball a full second after it was hit.  He looked up and saw it coming in his direction.  He quickly turned towards the wall and made a full sprint to get it.

                Students in this class will remember three things this day; things that shouldn't have happened.  First, Gohan caught the ball.  Not thirty feet in the air, mind you, but rather on a great diving catch that he started at least fifteen feet from the wall.  Second, Gohan landed safely, though it was on the other side of the wall.  Or, rather, where the wall used to stand after he plowed through it.  What remained there was a six-foot gap between the outfield wall, and specks of dust the filtered through the air.  The third thing surprised the students the most.

                Gohan walked out of the rubble, ball in hand, without a single scratch found on him.

* * *

                "Hey Gohan!  You mind giving me a ride home today?"  The end of the day couldn't have come any quicker for Gohan.  After the incident in the outfield, he had gotten questioning stares from the class.  Many couldn't believe a nerd boy could jump through a wall and come out completely unscathed.

                He also received a conk in the head from a 'super heater' from none other than Sharpener.  Again, more of the questioning stares.  He took his own advice, and the advice of the teacher, to sit out the rest of the game and take a look at the 'bump' on his head.

                He rejoined the class for the last period of the day: history.  The questioning stares had gone done drastically, with only a select few looking at him from time to time.

                Those few, of course, were Erasa, Sharpener, and Videl.

                The hour in history had come and gone, and now school was done.  Gohan walked down the hallway to his locker, which wasn't that far from the room he was in.  In a cruel twist of fate, at least right now, Gohan's locker was situated next to Erasa's and Videl's.  Videl had left a minute before Gohan got there, but he had found Erasa just closing her locker.  She asked him the question posed above.

                "I'm sorry, but my 'ride' has only one seat, and I live pretty far away," was the response to the question.

                "Oh really?  How far away do you live anyway?"  Gohan decided to lie for once, though figuring one out would be pretty hard for a guy like him.  He quickly thought of Bulma, and went along with it.

                "Well, I'm staying with a friend of mine in West City.  I actually live in the 439 Mountain Area."

                "The 439 Mountain Area?!"  In another cruel twist of fate, Sharpener decided to walk up at the moment.

                "The 439 Mountain Area, huh?  Damn Gohan, you're a nerd boy and a country boy."

                "What's wrong with being a country boy?"  Sharpener was surprised at how quick Gohan's response was.  Taken aback some, he formulated a decent answer.

                "Nothing!  Nothing wrong with being a farmer boy."  Decent enough, huh?  "Hey, Gohan, no hard feelings from PE class, okay?  I actually didn't expect you to stand there and take a hit like that.  You seem all right though."

                "It's nothing really.  Thanks for your concern though, Sharp."

                "Anytime bro."  The three of them started walking towards the exit.  Most of the student body had already left.  Erasa decided to pursue her earlier question.

                "So, Gohan, a ride home?"

                "Um…why not get a ride from Sharpener?  Like I said, I only have room for one."

                "Yeah babe.  Why not get a ride with the Sharp-meister?"  The comment got a threatening stare from Erasa and a naïve stare from Gohan.  You know Gohan; he'd have no clue about people calling themselves something followed with 'meister'.  For the moment, he decided not to pursue the subject, but rather get himself home before his mom started worrying about him.

                "Sorry guys, but I got to get going.  See you tomorrow!" he said as he ran off.  He turned and waved back just to make sure that the two didn't get curious.  He left campus and made a quick sprint to one of the cities many tall buildings.  Gohan entered one of the alleys and flew up to the top.  Looking around, he made sure no one had followed him and called out to the nimbus cloud.  A few seconds later, the cloud arrived.  He leapt on top of it and flew off towards his home in the 439 Mountain Area.

                His mom would be glad to hear about his first day of school.

* * *

[1] It won't matter if it's a North-South flight.  If he were going East-West, he'd have to fly through at least one time zone, no matter what.  I'm not sure about actual time zone dimensions, but five hundred miles is quite a distance to travel.

[2] I'm using the size of the cafeteria to the university I go to.  It is huge and can seat anywhere between 500-1000 people.  Oh, and the food is decent enough that people wouldn't barf in it.  It is a top quality high school you know.

                Well, that's chapter one.  I won't start any conflicts until chapter three, which starts developing the main plot some.  I will be introducing two new characters though, and the names of them will play off of two characters from a great anime series.  They won't be related, but bonus points…or something, goes to the person who correctly guesses the names I'll be using.

                Also, I'd like to mention this.  I got some inspiration to write a mega-sized piece of fiction after reading Boombubble's Some Dreams Do Come True.  The whole idea of the Gohan and Videl relationship is played out nicely in it, with it all starting when Gohan goes to high school.  Note my starting point.  This will probably end up sucking by the way, but I'll find out along the way.  By the way, if anyone hasn't read that aforementioned story, do so.  Very good.  Kudos to Boombubble for writing a great story.

                Next Chapter: The Gold Fighter appears!  The talk spreads!  And a new student appears, making Gohan's life somewhat…interesting.  And Erasa makes her move (I think).


	2. I:II Just Desserts and a Little Bird

Disclaimer: Me = No own DBZ.

Reviewer responses will be at the end of the chapter.  The author's notes will, like last chapter, be found down there as well.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic by ShaggyDiz

Chapter Two

* * *

                Wednesday, 3:15 PM.

                School had long since concluded for the day.  Gohan was on his way home, casually sitting on the nimbus cloud.  Well, more like casually lying down.

                A recap of sorts first.

                Gohan went home from school on Monday and told his mom the many splendors of high school.  He was pleased to announce that he had already made two, possibly three friends.  He didn't give the specifics about it; for his mom might have thrown a mad rant about girls and how they interfere with, quote, 'my baby's studies', unquote.  He also told her about the slight problem with PE class, but reassured her by saying that he would try hard in the future PE classes to avoid that problem.

                Tuesday was a breeze.  Classes were fun, though boring.  Videl came over to his table again and talked to him about the free period after lunch, and the rotation that occurs between that and PE every other day.  Erasa continued her…erm, 'thing' with Gohan, and he and Sharpener had a slightly good discussion about school sports.

                Not bad for the first two days, especially for a boy who never met anyone, minus Dende, that was his age before.

                Wednesday would be remembered as hell to Gohan.

                Nearly everything that could have gone wrong that day did.  First, he woke up late, and had a drastically shortened breakfast.  Lunch that day proved to be an exercise in A) complete embarrassment and B) dropped jaws along with eerie silence lasting for a full five minutes.

                Gohan cringed at the thought of what happened during lunch earlier that day…

…

                "What's everyone looking at?" asked a rather confused Gohan.  The student body – most of them anyway – had stopped whatever they were doing after hearing about a large amount of food being bought and eaten.  No one suspected Gohan, who went and bought five burgers, five hot dogs, three servings of spaghetti, lasagna, cheese shells and tortellini, and about four meatball sandwiches.  They heard a bit of sloppy eating, but nothing much to cause a ruckus.  Still, one turned head turned into ten, which went in waves until nearly the whole crowd had turned to see this feat.

_                The surprising thing was that he didn't feel full at all after the large meal._

_                Videl walked over to him once she saw that everyone suddenly stopped what he or she was doing.  She sat across from him in the same fashion that she did the last two days.  This time the discussion wasn't about school, but rather to defuse a rather sticky situation._

_                But first…_

_                "STOP LOOKING OVER HERE!" was all it took for the student body to resume their normal conversations.  Gohan still had the confused look on his face.  It vanished when he realized that Videl had begun talking to him.  "Big lunch, huh?"_

_                "What?  Oh yeah.  I had a smaller than usual breakfast this morning."_

_                "I can see that," she said, chuckling a bit.  "You have a big appetite or something?"_

_                "You can say that.  It runs in my family a bit.  And in someone else's I know."_

_                "Well, how bout you keep that little trait of yours outside of school, so that this doesn't happen again, and I don't have to raise my voice."_

_                "Will do."_

_                "Now, tell me something.  Why did…"_

…

                Videl made his day slightly better at that point.  Still, by then it was already in shambles.  PE class made it worse…

…

                "Now son, I will give you exactly one minute to do as many push-ups as you can."

_                "Okay sir."_

_                "Ready…go!"  After the display at lunch, Gohan could only hope that his day didn't turn from horrible to the next word that describes…well, horrible.  PE class had come, and now he would finish those exercises that he didn't do on Monday, which were push-ups and sit-ups.  He elected to do push-ups first._

_                In sixty seconds, he pressed himself up and down sixty  times._

_                In sixty seconds, he had done seventy-eight sit-ups._

_                Indeed, people were bound to talk about it.  Curiosity extended the most to Videl, Sharpener and Erasa.  Erasa, well, for obvious reasons.  Sharpener, because he still doesn't have a clue about nerd boys having any kind of strength.  And Videl, whose curiosity was already sparked that day.  She became even more intrigued about Gohan during the course of the day, and with this display, nearly put the twenty questions marathon into the spotlight…_

…

                Gohan groaned at the thought.  He sat up and positioned himself so he was crossed legged on the cloud.  He hung his head down, still going over the day's events.  "How will I explain this to mom?" he though out loud.  "I mean, it was my fault I got up a little late today, and I kind of over did the PE stuff, but what will she say about Erasa?"…

…

                _History had come and gone.  The bell rang, signaling the end of the day.  Videl was the first to leave as always, quickly exiting school through the rooftop.  Sharpener also left early, heading towards the gym for weighting training.  That left Erasa and Gohan, and, in yet another cruel twist of fate, was just the way Erasa had planned it._ [1] _Earlier in the day, during another bathroom discussion, the two girls talked about ways in which Gohan could get suckered into a date with Erasa on Saturday.  Videl objected to it, but Erasa had pressured her immensely, begging her to give her a way to get Gohan alone with her to talk to her._

_                "Just wait till after school.  I'm visiting my mom again and I'm sure Sharpener has something to do."_

_                Fast forward to the end of the school day.  Gohan was slowly walking to his locker, with Erasa currently in tow.  Gohan was trying to ignore her constant babbling about makeup and other necessities.  They arrived at their lockers, which was Erasa's moment to strike.  She swung around to face Gohan while he was rummaging through his locker.  He closed it just to see Erasa with a huge smirk on her face._

_                "Sooo…Gohan."_

_                "Yeah Erasa?"_

_                "I was wondering…there's this new movie that's coming out this week.  And I was wondering…"_

_                "Wondering what?" he asked, confused as ever as to why Erasa was acting like this right now.  Sure, he had known that Erasa was giggling and fawning over him the past few days, but never like this._

_                "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me silly!"_

_                "Um…I don't know…"_

_                "Oh come on Gohan!  It'll be fun!"_

_                "Um…I really don't know Erasa.  I mean, I've never been on a date before."_

_                "Well, duh!  Living in the country all your life wouldn't sport you any dates."_

_                "Um…" Just then Erasa got an idea of how to get Gohan to go with him._

_                "Fine, if you don't go with me…I'll…I'll…I'll tell the whole school your deepest darkest secret."  That got Gohan right in the…well, it got him bad._

How would she know my deepest darkest secret?! _He thought.  _I'm sure no one saw me earlier today!  Gah!  I might as well go along with her.  It shouldn't be _too_ bad.  _"Okay…I'll go with you."_

_                "Great!"  _Ha!  It worked.  He's more gullible than I thought!  _"We'll discuss this after school on Friday, so don't forget…"_

…

                "Man.  I wonder how things went so bad today.  Erasa can't possibly know my secret, can she?"  The thoughts continually circled through his head.  He went through several other instances, like messing up once in math class, and another time in language arts class.  Physics was a mess for him as well.

                He had the nagging notion that it all started on his way to school, with the first appearance of his alter ego…

…

                _It was 7:45 AM.  Gohan was going rather fast on the nimbus cloud this morning, after the late wake up.  He showered quickly and had a smaller than usual breakfast.  He brought a couple fruits with him on the flight, but was intent on arriving there on time.  Soon Satan City came into view, and it brought Gohan some relief.  _Good.  I'll be on time today.  _That seemed to be the case, until he heard a loud sound coming from below.  He looked down to see a bus traveling really fast down the road that led away from the city.  He also saw a yellow helicopter hovering above the bus, matching its speed._

_                "Nimbus, slow down a bit.  I want to watch this."  The cloud obeyed his command, and slowed down to allow Gohan a better view of what was occurring.  He was taken by surprise when he saw the driver side door of the copter swing open to reveal Videl.  _What's she doing down there?! _He thought to himself.  "Nimbus, go lower!"_

_                Down at the scene, Videl jumped down onto the top of the bus.  It was loaded with school children, apparently going to school.  Police reported that three men had robbed a bank and took the bus as the getaway vehicle.  Videl rushed to the scene, and now was ready to take out the men.  She landed on the roof, and swung around to the side, kicking one of the windows in.  By luck, she dropkicked one of the hostage takers.  She turned to the front of the bus.  One of the hostage takers was driving the bus, with the driver unconscious at the time.  The other villain was at the back of the bus, and had his gun trained on the teen._

_                "One move and you're dead!" shouted the man.  Videl stayed in her spot and smirked a little.  She had a clear run of the guy, since all of the kids were crowded into their seats.  She squatted down, which brought the attention of the hostage taker.  He fired, and Videl quickly jumped up and forward.  She placed a hand on one of the seats and pushed her forward.  The force propelled her extended foot into the gut of the gun holder, winding him and knocking him out.  She turned to the front and saw the last robber walking towards her.  He was clearly the biggest of the three, but apparently the dumbest of them as well, for he left the bus running without a driver.  Videl quickly ran forward and disposed of the last threat._

_                Which, of course, left the bus without a driver._

_                Videl ran forward to assess the situation.  The last robber had shoved the acceleration pedal through the floor, which made the bus increase its speed with every passing second.  The steering wheel was twisted and turned in such a way that made driving the thing impossible.  The door release was also ripped out, leaving no possible escape, even though at this speed it was nearly impossible._

_                She did the only thing she could do, which was use the drive shift to decelerate the bus.  She threw it into neutral, which promptly slowed the bus down, but its momentum continued to move it forward.  She went for the brake, but as she did, the bus smashed through a side rail, flying off the road onto the grassy field.  The field sloped down for about two hundred feet until a cliff appeared.  Videl was thrown out of the driver seat when the bus flew off the road, and stood up just to see the cliff appear about thirty feet away.  She knew then it was too late._

_                Time seemed to stand still when the bus rumbled off the edge.  Gravity seemed to have no effect on the inside occupants, as the kids, Videl and the unconscious robbers floated up into the air.  Screaming was heard from the kids, scared to death, as they would soon fall to their doom.  Videl could only hang her head, defeated, as she would soon die, along with kids that wouldn't deserve this fate._

_                Fate would give her another day._

_                As the bus continued it's decent, a bright flash zoomed past the falling vehicle.  No more than two seconds later, the bus stopped in midair.  Videl looked out the window and saw the ground, which was around three hundred feet below.  "What happened?"  That questioned was immediately answered, as the bus began moving up.  All the kids stopped screaming and looked out the window, just as amazed as Videl.  She continued to look at the ground, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view.  The bus moved over the cliff and carried over to the road. _

_ By now two cops cars had pulled up to see the bus being placed down by a strange man with bright gold hair.  He went forward to the side door and looked inside.  Gohan saw Videl sitting in the seat looking right at him._

_                "The door's jammed!" she yelled out, muffled slightly by the door.  Gohan saw this and placed his hands on the door.  He curled his fingers into it, grabbing a chunk of metal.  He then pulled the door right off its hinges and threw it behind him._

_                "You can come out now," he said, reaching his hand out towards the teenage girl.  She reached out slowly and took it, then allowed herself to get caught in his arms as he carried her off the bus.  Several of the police officers walked over to the two._

_                "Wow, kid.  That was great!"_

_                "Yeah.  How'd you do it?"  The question took Gohan a bit by surprise.  He answered him with a:_

_                "Working out."_

_                Two-anime body drops later, "Wow, that's great."_

_                "Yes.  But now I must get going."_

_                "Wait!" Videl spoke up, still in Gohan's arms._

_                "What?"_

_                "What's your name?"  Again, Gohan was taken by surprise.  He couldn't tell her his name, since he wouldn't hear the end of it.  He didn't think of one before now._

_                "Just make one up.  See ya!" he said, letting her down to her feet and flying straight up to the sky._

_                "Wait!" she yelled out again.  It went on deaf ears though.  The gold streak soon disappeared above the clouds, leaving Videl to wonder about her savior that day…_

…

                Gohan arrived home at about four o'clock.  He went inside and was immediately attacked by Goten.  "Gohan!  Gohan!  How was school?"

                "It was good squirt," he said, lying.  "Listen, I got to go talk to mom.  Where is she at?"

                "Um…she doing the laundry outback."

                "Okay.  Oh, we'll spar a bit later."

                "Okay!" the young boy chirped.  Gohan walked through the house to the back door.  He saw his mom hanging up a huge load of clothes on the several lines spanning the back yard.

                "Hey mom."  Chichi looked up to see her eldest son walking towards her.

                "Hi Gohan.  How was your day?"

                "Bad," he simply said.

                "How so?  I watched the news today and saw you in action."

                "You did?!"

                "Well, it isn't everyday that boys with gold hair and can fly appear on the TV.  Still, you did a brave thing there today."

                "Thanks mom.  But it wasn't that."

                "Oh, then tell me what went wrong."

                "Um…we better sit down for a bit.  It'll take some time."  So the two sat down at the picnic table.  Gohan went into discussion about the day's events.  He told her about Videl's constant interrogating, and about all the random trouble spots in all of his classes except history.  He told her to make sure he has a hardy breakfast each and every morning after what happened at lunch today.  "Um…there's one more thing."  He had to tell his mom about Erasa, but he wasn't completely clear on how to go about this.

                "Well, what is it Gohan?"

                "Well…I think I got blackmailed into a date on Saturday."  He feared the reaction that he though he would be getting.  At least at first glance.

                "A date?!"

                "Mom!  It wasn't like I had another choice!"

                "Well what did this girl say?"

                "Um…if you don't go out with me I'll tell everyone your deepest darkest secret.  I think she said something like that."  His mom chuckled lightly when he said this.  "What's so funny mom?"

                "Oh nothing dear.  I could only remember the days when Goku and I were dating…make that trying to date."

                "Mom, this girl has been nothing but a nuisance since I accidentally bumped into her Monday.  She's cool, but I really don't like her that much."

                "Well you might as well do this just one time.  At least it'll get you some experience about dating when you finally meet someone that'll get me grandchildren."

                "Mom…not this again."

                "I know.  I'll stop now.  Now, I got to pick out something nice for you.  When is it again?"

                "Saturday."

                "Saturday.  Okay.  By the way…"

                "Yeah mom?"

                "Bulma called earlier.  She said Vegeta was in a particularly good mood today and was looking forward to talking to you.  I was reluctant at first, but decided 'what the heck'.  You might as well go over and get a good spar in."  Gohan was in complete shock at the moment.  He wanted to say something, but nothing could escape his lips.  "Did you do your homework?"  He nodded ever so slightly.  "Good.  Now take Goten and be back by seven for dinner."  Gohan finally came out of his trance.

                "Thanks mom!" he said, running off into the house.  "Come on Goten!  We're flying to Capsule Corp.!"  An ecstatic cheer was heard from the boy's room.  He came running out and met Gohan outside, and the two took off to West City [2].

* * *

                Good mood was an understatement.  At least for Gohan it was.  It'd been a long time since Vegeta and Gohan sparred, and although Gohan remained the stronger of the two, the lack of training the past seven years had given him reason to believe that Vegeta was merely toying with him.  The training had proceeded in only super saiyan for both of them.  Vegeta had yet to achieve the ascended level and Gohan would easily defeat him in the ascended form.  Super Saiyan it was then.

                Gohan got a vacation of sorts four months before when his mom decided to let him stop studying for a period of time to do whatever he wanted.  He took this time to train and meditate.  It only took three months to regain some of his lost fighting sense.  Still, it was not enough against the battle hardened Vegeta, who seemed to train constantly over the last seven years.  He noticed something different about Vegeta though.  The most obvious was the fact that seven years of peace had done a lot to a man who once wanted nothing but to be content with himself.  For a simple moment, everything changed, when his son was killed at the Cell Games.  For a bare sliver of a moment, he fought for someone else.

                He would never admit that he had gone soft over the years.  He carried enough of his pride to do that.  Still, he had gone on to love his wife Bulma, and his only child Trunks, more than anything else.  Not many arguments existed between the three, except for Trunks occasionally getting into mischief with Goten, and Vegeta still being the occasional pain.  Life was good though in Capsule Corps.

                "What's wrong there boy?" the prince asked him, grinning madly.  "Your mind isn't in this fight today.  Is it that damn school your harpy mother sent you to?"  A clean shot to Vegeta's jaw answered his last remark.

                "Nothing is wrong with the school.  It's the people inside the school that are pissing me off."

                "I can see.  What has these pathetic humans done this time?"

                "Why do you care?"  Vegeta walked up slowly to Gohan, looking up at him the whole time, acting calm and – strangely – understanding.

                "Well, besides losing a good sparring partner, I'd like to care what happens to you while you're at school.  That's what the woman says at least."

                "I see."

                "It's nothing like that boy.  Being on this worthless planet has taught me many things.  Being a family has its…rewards."  Gohan nodded his head and relaxed himself.  For now, the spar was off.

                "Well, the biggest problem at school is that I just got blackmailed into a date on Saturday."  A rather huge laughter erupted from the smaller man.  Gohan turned a bit red at this.  As soon as it started though, it stopped, and Vegeta composed himself.

                "What she say, the 'deepest darkest secret' trick?"  Gohan's face erupted in redness.  He tried to hide it, but it was too late.  Vegeta saw it, and could only grin even more than he had before.

                "How do you know?"

                "Let's just say that there's some things that Bulma has used on me to get her way.  Besides, you're better off talking to me than to Kakarot.  Damn fool thought wedding was food."  Both men chuckled a bit at the remark.

                "You're right about that Vegeta.  It'd be nice to see dad again though, now that you mention him."

                "As much as I hate to say, it would be good to see that baka of a father of yours once more."

                "What you two talking about?"  The two men looked down to see where the voice came from.  It was the voice from the other son of Goku, Goten.  Trunks was right along side him, looking up and wondering what the discussion was about.  "Were you talking about dad?"

                "Yes boy.  We were talking about your father."

                "What was he like?" the young spiky haired boy wondered.  The teen and the adult looked at each other for a moment.

                "You want to take this?"

                "No.  It's your father."

                "You tell him.  I've told him a hundred times over the years."

                "Fine!  I'll tell the brat!"  He returned his stare to Goten and sat down on the gravity room floor.  The rest of the saiyans followed suit.  "Listen boy.  I'm telling you this once.  Your father was a great man, though sometimes a fool.  He was an honest man.  I respected him like you do with Gohan.  It may not seem like it, for I never reached the strength that your father achieved.

                "What made your father different was that he was carefree and looked over everyone else before himself.  He was pure of heart, like you, and he could do a great many things, even when his strength couldn't.  I learned the hard way about that.   I know you would be glad to see him one day."

                "Wow…" Goten let out.  He listened to every word Vegeta had said, and was inspired even more than what Gohan had told him many times before.  Gohan told him the same things, but he never got the perspective of a rival before.  Vegeta opened that up to him, and his eyes filled with wonder.

                "Now, let's get back to training.  I know that harpy mother of yours wants you two back home soon, and I'm not done putting Gohan into shape."  The two boys giggled at the statement, to which Gohan let out a loud groan.  The group split up again, as Gohan and Vegeta powered up to fight and the boys sparred in their normal forms.  They soon stopped and watched the older two attack each other in what appeared to be an evenly matched fight.  They studied their form intently, watching their respective fighting styles and learning them.

                They also wanted to be super saiyans when they fought.

                Which is exactly what they did.

                Which sent Gohan flying to the opposite wall, stopping once he felt the enormous power surge generating from the two boys.  Vegeta stopped, after he had clocked Gohan in the jaw.

                "Goten?"

                "Trunks?"

                "They're super saiyans?!" [3]

* * *

                "Ooo, Gohan!  Let's go over here!"

                The dreaded day had come.  It was Saturday, otherwise known as 'Gohan's Date in Hell'.

                With none other than Erasa.

                Gohan arrived at Satan City at close to one, the designated time for this little adventure to begin.  Technically, he was five minutes late for the date.  He had trouble finding the exact spot where Erasa was, and because of his lack of knowledge, received an ear full from the girl.  It was now three o'clock.  The plan for the day was as easy as cake: take Erasa to the mall and then to the movies.

                _No problem_ was Gohan's original though.

                What he didn't know was the movie didn't start till four thirty.  That had left Gohan three hours to kill at the mall.

                Three very long, brutal hours with Erasa.

                Did I mention it was only three o'clock?

                At the current moment, Erasa took Gohan to another woman's underwear store.  Gohan lost count after the first three stores because of the sheer embarrassment it would give him to stare at women's undergarments.  He also became weighted down with the sheer amount of bags Erasa had given to him.  Sure, he was a saiyan, but it really doesn't matter if you are with a girl like Erasa.

                All that matters is that he wanted to get home alive, and to also schedule a couple of chiropractor visits for the bad back he would be getting soon.

                "How…much more…of this pain?" he wondered aloud.

                "Don't worry Gohan.  I always do this with my dates," she giggled.

                "Maybe I can go talk to them about this…"

                "What was that?"

                "Oh!  Nothing, Erasa.  Just wondering what movie we were seeing."

                "Oh that.  Well, they just released _Titanic Redux_.  It has some two hours worth of extra footage and goes more into the love triangle formed between the main characters." [4]

                "WHAT!"

                Time seemed to go a bit faster, as it was now four o'clock.  The shopping in hell was completed, but now he was forced to sit through five hours of being Erasa's sobbing shoulder.  As the two walked to the movies, several fire engines whizzed by them.

                "Hey Gohan.  Let's go check this out.  It looks like a fire, and Videl might be there."

                _Yes!  Anything to lose this heavy load and prevent us from going to the movies._  The two teens hurried down to where the smoke was coming from.  One of the cities high rises was on fire.  The water system on the twenty-fifth floor, where the fire started, had short-circuited, leaving people trapped on the top five floors in the building.  There were numerous fire personnel and trucks at the scene.  There was also a yellow copter hovering at the top of the building.  _No!  That's Videl up there!  What is she doing?_

                Up on top, Videl had exited her copter and made her way over to the huge water tower situated on the top of the building.  She went over and proceeded to turn the valve.

                It was jammed, and the metal itself burned her hands.  She didn't give up though, using all of her strength to twist the valve.  It moved ever so slightly, but that was as far as it would go.  Defeated, she let go of the valve and stepped back.  She looked up at the tower, and then over to the people crowded on the roof.  _Not this again.  I'm going to lose again._

                Fate would be on her side again this week.  A finger tapped her shoulder.  She turned her head and saw what appeared to be a man dressed in blue pants, a blue long sleeve shirt, dark sunglasses and a white turban.  _What a dork_ was all she could think at the moment.

                "What do you want?" she asked him rudely.

                "I came to help out," the man said, using a cheap deep voice to conceal his own.

                "Help out?  In that?"

                "Yes.  Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to put out this fire."  He brushed past her and walked up to the tower.  He looked up and down it, trying to find a weak point.

                "The valve is busted.  There's no way to get water out of it."

                "Oh, there is another way," he said calmly.  From there, he thrust his fist into the side of the tank, creating a huge hole in the side.  He pulled out and let the water flow onto the roof.  He walked to the other side and did the same, making two sides for the water to pour out.  He then punched the roof on the far side of the building, making the water seep inside.  He did the same near Videl, and the water rushed inside.  It ran its course down the stairs and onto the descending floors, putting out the fire.  Satisfied with his job, the masked hero turned to leave.

                "Hey wait!" Videl yelled out, causing the man to turn and look at her.

                "Yes?"

                "Are you the Gold Fighter?" she asked.

                "No.  I'm afraid I'm not.  I know who he is though, and I plan on meeting him soon."

                "What?  How do you know who he is?"

                "I was trained by one of his friends.  He, the Gold Fighter, is a great martial artist, just to let you know.  He is far stronger than me, I know for sure.  I must get going now.  Goodbye," he said, turning and flying away from the building.  Videl was left awestruck by who the masked man was.

                _Two heroes?  I don't like this one bit._

                Back on the ground, Gohan and Erasa witnessed the entire event.  They watched as Videl struggled with the valve and also the new hero arriving.  Gohan would have helped out if, but he would have had to ditch Erasa.  He had come up with an excuse, but just before he said it, he felt a ki surge coming in his direction.  That surge turned out to be the new hero.  As the man left, Gohan kept a steady eye on him, getting a good feel for the new power.  His power was just as strong as Krillin's, if not more.

                He was also cursing to himself the whole time, for what reason he wasn't sure, but for some reason he would hate the competition he would be getting from this new hero.  It would deal a serious blow to his saiyan pride if he ever met up with the person.

                Videl would provide them with the answer as she came down off of the building to file her report.  She saw her two friends standing across the street, waving their hands at her.  She finished up her report and ran across to greet them.

                "Hey you two!"

                "Hey Videl," Erasa said.  "What happened up there?"

                "Yeah…what happened?" Gohan asked, struggling with the load still in his hands.

                "Well, the valve got stuck, and then this guy just showed up and busted up the tank."

                "That's cool.  Was he good looking?"

                "Erasa!  Why must you always constantly think about boys?  Hell, you got this one in a bind right now."

                "Thank you for noticing."

                "Sure thing Gohan."  She paused for a moment before starting up again.  "There was one other thing though."

                "What was that?" Erasa asked.

                "He wasn't the Gold Fighter, and he said he knew him."

                _He knows the Gold Fighter?!_ Gohan screamed in his head.  He had a worried look on his face that the girls did not see.  Just then he brought his hand up and looked at his watch.  _Four…forty-five.  Yes!  No _Titanic Redux_!  I guess I could go home._  "Hey Erasa.  I'm sorry to do this but I got to get going.  My mom wanted me home by dinner."

                "Oh man.  I really wanted to see that movie with you too."

                "What movie was that?" Videl asked.

                "_Titanic Redux_."

                "You don't say," Videl deadpanned.

                "Why do you think I want to leave?" Gohan inquired, loud enough for only Videl to hear.  She chuckled lightly under her breath.

                "Go ahead Gohan.  I'll take Erasa's stuff to her house."  He immediately dropped the blonde's items and wrapped up Videl in a huge hug.

                "Thanks," he whispered.  "See you two in school!"  He ran off, and a few moments disappeared around a corner.  Erasa walked up to Videl, both of them confused as to what happened just now.

                "What was that about?" Erasa asked.

                "I have no idea."  _That hug was something though…_

* * *

                Monday brought something new for Gohan.  The rest of last week went very well for him, with nothing happening like the shenanigans from Wednesday.  Videl came over to her seat at lunch at his table a bit earlier then she usually had, resulting in longer, more intelligent conversations than the ones she would have had with Erasa and Co.  Erasa came over at one point too, on Friday, but just to discuss the events that were to take place on Saturday.

                It was now Monday, and as Gohan walked to school he noticed something strange.  He didn't see the strange occurrence, but rather, he felt it.  Instead of one relatively high power in school, there was one relatively high power and one…extraordinarily high power in the school.  Gohan also immediately recognized the power as the one from Saturday.  _A new student, huh?  Hopefully I'll be able to find out my so-called competition._

                He went to his classroom as usual and noticed no one new sitting there.  He sensed around again, and found the new student on another floor.  _Oh well.  I'll look for this guy later._  He went to his seat, where he was immediately assaulted by Erasa, namely on why he suddenly jumped ship on Saturday.

                Videl was forced by Gohan to switch seats with Erasa, which made him all the happier, and Sharpener all the more pissed.  Sure, nothing was happening between Videl and Gohan, and no rumors had started.  Sharpener had other ideas though, seeing Videl talking with Gohan everyday more than he had been talking with the girl of his dreams.  So naturally, he was pissed.  He was a good friend with Gohan though; with the amount of talking they did about certain things.

                Erasa, meanwhile, was mad at Gohan for the ditch job he pulled on Saturday.  Videl was forced to hear the entire tantrum on the flight home from the city, which involved missing the five-hour sob fest.  Gohan was lucky to never give the girl his phone number because of this, for she went on about it for the better part of the weekend.  Even now, Erasa couldn't shut up.  By ten thirty, she faced a week's detention for her outbursts.

                Videl had gone through the weekend contemplating the hug she received from Gohan.  From the moment it happened, she went through a silent, unnoticeable shock that carried her from then till now.  Getting to sleep on Saturday night proved to be troublesome, to say the least.  In the end, though, she got to sleep, deciding that she didn't need any of this now.  Even in class today, she still looked over to him from time to time and thought to herself.  _I've only known him for a week.  There's no way that he likes me more than he does.  Sure I'm nice to him and all…but I don't need him.  That hug was probably nothing anyway._

                Gohan, the whole time, wasn't even bothering to look to his right, for fear of Erasa's deadly stare.  He didn't notice Videl's curiosity at all.

* * *

                Lunch couldn't have come any faster for Gohan.  He made it a promise to himself to set out on a search for the new person, but if anyone close to him would know, food takes precedence over searching for new people.  Once the aroma of the cafeteria set in, Gohan's focus shifted, and he completely forgot about his mission.  He bought his food and went to his usual table, but today was completely different.

                Videl followed him immediately.

                "Hey Videl.  You're here early."  She sat in her usual seat across from him.

                "Yeah.  I decided to come by early today.  I'm going to need help with some of my history homework."  She lied about that.  History was one of her best classes, but she needed something to say to sit next to Gohan for the next forty-five minutes.  Gohan cocked his eye at the statement, knowing the fact that Videl never needed help in history.  At least, just for the first week.

                "Really?" he asked.

                "Not really.  Sorry, I just needed something to fall back on."

                "That's perfectly all right."

                _God, why does he think this is perfectly all right?  Such an easygoing guy.  Much better than those brainless simians that try to talk to me._  "Okay.  I got a question for you."

                "Go ahead."  She decided to get the topic on her mind out of the way.

                "What was that hug for on Saturday?"  Gohan was slightly puzzled for a moment.

                "That hug?"

                "Yeah."

                "Oh…well, I just wanted to thank you for getting Erasa off of my hands.  I never realized how bad going out on a date could be."

                "Well not all dates are like that."

                "Really?"  Videl chuckled slightly.

                "That was your first date, right?"

                "Well…yeah.  It's not like I had any up where I lived at."

                "I figured just as much."  An evil grin slowly etched itself on her face.  Gohan took immediate notice and cringed in his seat.  He knew it that whatever formed in her head couldn't have been a good thing.

                "What?"

                "Come down here on Saturday.  I'll take you out around town, since you seem to think that Erasa's way of dating is the only way."

                "So…we're going on a date?"

                "Not really.  We're just hanging out.  And don't tell anyone else otherwise."

                "Sounds…good enough…to me."

                "Good.  This will be fun."

                "Yeah…fun."  As you can tell, Gohan was slightly out of it at the moment.  Videl jumped on that though.

                "What?  You don't want to hang out with me?"

                "What?  Oh, it's not like that!"

                "Then what is it?"

                "Well, I guess you wouldn't act like Erasa did last weekend, huh?"

                "No," she responded, rather sternly.

                "Oh good.  For a moment there I thought that I'd have to carry another twenty bags of clothes."  Both of them laughed at that.

                "You don't have to worry about that.  I don't like shopping much anyway.  One thing though."

                "What's that?"

                "I've changed my mind.  I don't want to go anywhere near here."

                "Why?"

                "Well, everyone knows me here.  If anyone sees me with you suspicions might rise.  Don't get me wrong, you're a nice guy and all."  Gohan scratched the back of his head.

                "Well, I know I'm a nice guy.  Where are you getting at?"  Videl's jaw dropped.  She stared at him, shocked at his naivety, for a few seconds before regaining her composure.

                _What a block head!  Oh well.  At least I don't have to worry about him liking me._  "Erm…don't worry about it kid."  _Kid?!_  "How about we go to West City on Saturday?"

                Gohan thought it over for a moment.  _West City, huh?  Hmm…maybe I can visit Bulma.  Do I want Videl to know though?  She kind of suspects me as the Gold Fighter, but then again, he only appeared once so far.  Okay, we'll go there.  I'll just make sure Vegeta or his brat doesn't do anything out of the ordinary._  "Sure, we'll go there.  I got a friend there that I'm sure you'll love to meet."

                "Really?"

                "Yeah, really."

                "Nice.  I want to try and stop by Capsule Corp., see if they'll let us come on a tour.  It's one of those times where it's great to be the daughter of an obnoxious champion."

                "Sure, we can go there."

                "Great!" she said, ecstatic.  They spent the remainder of their lunch eating and going over some homework, including history.  Videl was surprised, to say the least, about Gohan's infinite knowledge of a many great things.  During the duration at lunch though, Gohan had a feeling in the back of his head that someone was staring at him.  He looked around from time to time but found nothing out of the ordinary.  He had nothing to go on now, with the fact that the energy signature he found earlier was cleverly concealed within the mass of students eating and talking in the cafeteria.  He'd have to do a search after school.

* * *

                The end of school came quickly though.  The two hours that contained the classes free period and history breezed by, and Gohan soon found himself out on the roof of the school.  Erasa was stuck in school, facing the first of her week's worth of detentions.  Videl left the school quickly again. Gohan inquired about this and got an 'I'll tell you later' response.  Sharpener had gone to another lifting session, leaving Gohan by himself.

                He stood at the edge, looking down at the students vacating the school.  He studied them all, scanning the various energy levels of all of them.  None of them proved to be the person he was looking for.  Gohan was ready to give up on the day when he heard the door opening behind him.  He turned to see a boy, about sixteen years of age, come through the door.  Gohan did a quick scan of him but found nothing abnormal about him.

                Nothing, until the boy walked over to the ledge and stood there for a few moments, in silence, before saying, "So, you ever going to call the Flying Nimbus?"

                It was obvious what Gohan's reaction would be.  _How does he know about the Flying Nimbus?  It's not everyday knowledge about me flying the nimbus.  Hell, it's not everyday knowledge to know _about_ a Flying Nimbus._  Gohan turned to the boy, who looked to be at least four inches smaller than the saiyan, and proceeded to question him.  "How do you know about the Flying Nimbus?"

                "A little bird told me.  He came to my window last night."

                "Really?  What else did this little bird say?"

                "Something about trying to find a kid who doesn't care about hiding his power.  He also say he'd stick out like a sore thumb."  Gohan let out a laugh at the comment.

                "Do you mind if I killed this bird?"

                "I do mind.  He is my sensei."

                "I see.  Raise your power for me."  The mystery boy did just that, raising his power up until he reached a level slightly higher than Krillin's.  "Nice."

                "That all you have to say?" the teen said, slightly irritated about his energy level getting a 'nice'.

                "Pretty much."

                "So when you going to call the nimbus cloud?"

                "You really want to see it?"

                "Yeah."

                "You sound cocky, you know that?"

                "So?"

                "Sounding like that, I don't think you'll be able to ride the nimbus cloud.  In fact, I won't bother to call it," he said, and with that, he lifted off of the roof, floating upward a bit.  The teen, not easily outdone, floated upwards as well, until they both reached the clouds.  Gohan watched him come up in front of him.  "What's your name, boy?" he asked, sounding almost Vegeta-like.

                "Shinji.  And I do believe you're Gohan."

                "Tell me: since you know my name, then I must ask about who your teacher is."

                "Sorry," he said, shaking his head no.  "I promised him that I wouldn't tell you.  With everything that I've said so far, you should know who it is."

                "I might have an idea.  For now I must get going.  I'll see you around, Shinji."  He turned to leave.  Shinji wasn't done though.

                "Wait!" he shouted, causing Gohan to turn.

                "What is it?"

                "I want to fight you."

                "You want to fight me?"  He laughed out loud for a second before continuing.  "You realize that you have no chance against me?"

                "I know.  The little bird told me something else, though."

                "What's that?"

                "He told me that if I pick on your pride long enough, that you'll end up wanting to fight me."  Gohan smirked at this.

                "Nice try, but not today.  If you want me to I'll take you under my wing in the near future.  You could use a lot of work."

                "You sure?  I was trained by one of the best on the planet."

                "I can see.  You haven't been trained _by_ the best, however."

                "Who is the best then?"  Gohan smirked again.

                "He's floating right in front of you.  See ya!" he said, and powering up a bit, he blasted off away towards home, leaving Shinji floating in the air, high above OSHS.  He stayed there for a moment before turning towards his home, flying away in the same fashion that Gohan had done.

* * *

[1] I'm horrible, I know.  Too many cruel ironies that befall our hero.

[2] For the sake of this story, both Goten and Trunks will be able to fly.  No need for them to be trained in flying.  Just a waste of space for now.

[3] Please excuse Vegeta's OOC in this story.  There is a reason for this.  I see Vegeta as an exceptional character, whose pride and with held emotions keeping him moving forward.  People are bound to change after seven years, which is what Vegeta has done.  He cares deeply for the people around him – including Gohan and Goten – and would probably do anything for them.  Of course, no Vegeta is complete without constant training and the waiting for the day for when 'that blasted Kakarot' returns.  You also got those mini-super saiyans.  Look at number two for an explanation.

[4] If anyone knows his or her movies, there was a movie, _Apocalypse Now_, which was re-released on DVD with the name _Apocalypse Now: Redux_.  I don't have that, but that's where my inspiration came from for that little scene.  I doubt anyone would want to sit through five hours of a ship sinking with three people fighting each other for each other's love.

Response to reviews:

Kaylendra – Thanks for the glowing review.  Sorry bout FF.net not letting you log in though.

RDBRaptor – Thanks for the suggestion.  I actually took some time to think of a name for this and ended up with the one you see here.  I know my summary was kind of shitty, but I couldn't think of anything for that either.  I'll be doing chapter summaries from now on though, so that should bring some attention to the story.

Penchy-Chan – Interesting…

Going back to the second reviewer's comment, if anyone has any suggestions for a story name go ahead and let me know.  I really don't know if that is the reason why I only got three reviews at posting time for this or the fact that FF.net was constantly down for the past two-three weeks.  Hopefully reviews will go up, which will make me happy.  Hopefully I can bang out the next chapter soon, which I hope will come out good.  If there was anything wrong with this one, it's that I wanted to just finish this and get it out soon.  I literally just came up with the Gohan/Videl lunch scene and the ending scene you see above.  I'll try to get chapter three up within the next two-three weeks though.  Speaking of which…

                Next Chapter: As Gohan and Videl tour West City and make a stop at Capsule Corps, the Gold Fighter makes another appearance.  Meanwhile, Gohan and Shinji become better friends and yet another student makes his way to Orange Star High School.  Is this a good thing, or a bad thing for our hero and his friends?

                Nothing to advertise by the way.  Sorry.


	3. I:III You got nice eyes, Videl

Disclaimer: The world of DBZ does not belong to me.  No money will be made off of this.  Thank you.  I only own Shinji and the character that appears at the end.

Important things will be at the bottom.  Notes, reviewer responses, etc.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic by ShaggyDiz

Chapter Three

* * *

                Satan City.  The current name of the city, once known as Orange Star City.  It was that until a certain man won two tournaments, the latter determining the safety of the world.  The latter was also false.  Gohan currently found himself in that city.

                School had let out not too long before, and he quickly made his way to one of the cities many high rises.  He stood at the ledge of the forty-story building, getting a good look at the busy life below him.  He heard everything coming from below, picking up the faint sounds of cars blowing their horns and the occasional fender bender.  All of it was possible with the saiyan hearing of his.

                Gohan came to this building to be alone.  As he would soon find out, his freedom wouldn't last.  From above, a figure descended down from the clouds, landing in the middle of the roof behind Gohan.

                "Hello, Shinji," the half saiyan quietly said.  The human boy made his way over to the ledge, next to Gohan.

                "Let me guess.  You knew it was me?"

                "Your flying gave yourself away about two miles ago."

                "Damn.  I have to work on that."  The boy looked over the edge; intent on what Gohan was looking at.  "What's so interesting about this?"

                "Nothing really.  I never did this before, so I decided to just come to a high building and look at everything from a bird's point of view."

                "You know you can do that by flying," Shinji said.  Gohan shrugged it off.

                "Flying requires you to look forward a lot.  You might crash into a mountain if you look down and not pay attention.  Standing here, I can take in more."

                "I see."  They remained silent for a moment, looking down into the streets below.  "I still want to fight you."  Gohan chuckled a little at that.

                "You know you're no match for me."

                "That isn't a good reason."

                "No?"  Gohan was surprised at the boy's resiliency.  He was persistent enough to make Gohan question his behavior.

                "My sensei told me to go fight the saiyans if I ever wanted a good fight."

                "Really?  I must meet this teacher of yours."

                "Not now.  You already know him though, so I'm not going to bother."

                "I probably know who you teacher is.  Judging by your power level, I'd say it's one of two people."  Gohan stood straight up and took a step back from the ledge.  "Tell me.  Are you the masked fighter from Saturday?"

                "Heh.  How'd you guess?"

                "Yesterday morning.  I felt a familiar power and I realized that it was the one from three days ago."  He expression took a slightly downward turn at this moment.  "Just to let you know, I don't need any help from you."

                "You sure?"

                "I would have help Videl back at that fire."

                "Then how come you didn't?"

                "I would…have."

                "I felt your power at the fire, and yet you refused to help."

                "I would have Shinji!  Goddamn it!  If you would have saw the bind that I was in then you would have known!"  Shinji looked over his shoulder at Gohan.  He saw that the saiyan teen wasn't too happy with this discussion.

                "Your date, right?"

                "What?  How do you know about that?"  Shinji returned his gaze to the streets below, attempting to hide his slightly red face.

                "I accidentally bumped into her yesterday morning while trying to find my way to the main office.  She was a bit pissed off, now that I remember."

                "Déjà vu.  Great."  Shinji smirked at the statement.

                "She told me about how this boy named Gohan ditched her on Saturday after Videl came down from the building fire.  Oh yeah.  She was _incredibly pissed."_

                "You don't have to tell me twice."  He returned to the ledge, now calm from his tantrum moments before.  "Be careful around her, all right?"

                "Oh, I don't have to worry about her."

                "Why is that?"

                "She told me something about only dating people in her grade.  That was a relief to say the least."

                "What's that have to do with you?"  Shinji looked over to Gohan for a moment, and then smacked his head.

                "Man.  Sensei told me you got your father's blockhead thinking.  How bout I put it in English for you," he said, moving his face until it was mere inches from Gohan's.  "I…AM IN A GRADE…BELOW YOURS!"

                "AH!  My freaking ears!  What'd you do that?"

                "To prove sensei's point that you don't pick out the most obvious things."

                "Shut up!" Gohan yelled, and swung his arm at Shinji, hitting him and sending him backwards to the opposite end of the roof.  He grabbed the side of his head when he started getting up.

                "Ouch!  What did you do that for?"

                "For nearly breaking my eardrums!  And for insulting me!"  Shinji laughed out loud for a few seconds before composing himself and getting onto his feet.

                "Well…it's true, Gohan."  He walked back over to Gohan, who was busy rubbing his ears, trying to get some feeling back into them.  "Now, when will you call the nimbus cloud?"

                "You really want to see the cloud, huh?"

                "Yeah.  I want to ride it."

                "Oh really?  That's a good one."

                "Just call the goddamn cloud, okay?"

                "Sure…FLYING NIMBUS!"  They waited a few seconds before a yellow streak was seen out in the horizon.  It turned towards them and, a few seconds later, screeched to a halt at Gohan's side.  "Now, this is the nimbus cloud.  It was originally Master Roshi's cloud.  I'm sure you know about him since you know about me, right?"  Shinji nodded.  "Good.  Now, only the pure of heart can ride the cloud.  I can ride it, as well as my brother and my mom.  My dad can ride it, but you probably know that he's dead."  Again, Shinji nodded.  "Good.  Now hop on."  _I can't wait to see this._

                The teen looked over the cloud for a bit.  He walked around and wondered how someone could ride one of these things.  _If Gohan can do it, then I know I can.  I think I'm pure of heart.  He stopped walking around it and jumped up on top of it._

                And promptly fell through the cloud.

                "Ouch!  Shit!  Gohan, what the hell is this?"  Gohan had started laughing the moment Shinji passed through the cloud.  He couldn't help it.  It was always a funny thing to watch, seeing people attempting to ride the cloud, only to fall through it and onto their asses.

                "It's…simple really…Kami that was too much…you're not…pure of heart…hee, hee, hee."

                "But…but!"

                "I have a feeling who your teacher might be now.  In fact, I bet you had two along the way, and one of them probably had to be tempted to train you.  See, I'm not so dense after all."

                "Where are you getting at?  I didn't tempt Master Roshi at all!  All I did was give him a couple of nudie…maga…oh crap."  Gohan laughed even harder.  He fell on his backside, laughing so hard that he had to grab his sides to prevent himself from inflicting self-bodily harm.  "Laugh it up all you want Gohan!  I'll redeem myself someday, you'll see!" he said, and blasted off into the clouds.  "You'll see!" he shouted again.  Gohan, who was still laughing incredibly hard, heard it faintly.  Tears started forming in his eyes because of the sheer amount of laughter he was emitting.

                "Boy…that was too much…" he said, slowly regaining control of himself.  He stood up and returned to the ledge.  He looked down at his watch and decided that now was a good time to go home.  "I think I have an idea about you teacher, Shinji," he thought out loud.  "I'll let you know tomorrow.  I'm sure he'll know where to find me."

                He stepped towards the center of the roof, making sure no one sees him.  Turning into a super saiyan, he unfurled his tail and rocketed up to the sky, leaving a yellow streak behind him.  Next to him flew the nimbus cloud, leaving its own yellow streak behind it, racing Gohan back to the 439 Mountain Area.

* * *

                "Krillin."

                "What about him?"

                "He's your teacher."  Shinji sighed.

                "Damn.  How'd you find out?"

                "Well, I figured that out the last couple days while sensing your power level.  You're right around his power level.  I also did some research about something you said yesterday."

                "Oh really?  What did you check?"  He cocked his eyebrow, wanting to know what Gohan was going on.

                "Besides the verbal lashing I got from my mom from this, I asked her if she knew something from the days when my dad trained with Roshi.  I told her what you did and she remembers my dad saying that Krillin did the same exact thing."  Gohan started to smirk.  "He was never able to ride the nimbus cloud after that."  Gohan had faced his mother the day before on the topic after dinner.  The reason for the verbal lashing was because of the subject matter.

                It was also because of the fact that Goten had heard every single word.  He nearly lost the chance to hang out with Videl on Saturday, but then came up with a quick excuse, telling Goten not to worry about that stuff until he was his older brother's age.

                "You know…Krillin suggested that I do that."

                "Really?"

                "Yeah.  Bout four years ago I went to Roshi's island.  I told him that I came to train under him.  Of course, he said that he would only train me if I got a beautiful woman…or some nudie magazines."  Both boys laughed at that.  "So before I left I met Krillin and his wife Eighteen.  Krillin told me what really impresses Roshi women wise.  He also gave me a secret stash of his magazines.  Needless to say, I was taken under Roshi's wing."

                "I see.  I guess Krillin didn't tell you that you would never be able to ride the nimbus cloud after that, huh?"

                "Nope," he said, shaking his head.  "Roshi told me about the cloud while I was training.  I trained under him for about a year.  Suffice to say, I became considerable stronger."

                "How did you train?"

                "Same way your father and Krillin did.  I wore a turtle shell for a whole year."

                "What did you do after that?"

                "I was thirteen at the time.  I took a two-week break and returned to the island, wanting to train more.  I continued my turtle shell training for another six months before Krillin decided to train me.  He told me during my first year of training that he would train me, but had held it off because of Marron being born.

                "Eventually we got to the meaty portion of the training.  Roshi's training enhanced my power level greatly, but now was the true test.  Krillin taught me for the first two weeks how to fly, and after that, we fought nonstop, from sunrise to sunset.  Over land.  Under water.  You name it; we did it.  Heck, I even fought Eighteen a couple times as well.  Didn't do too well against her though.  Krillin said that only a super saiyan could defeat her."

                "I think he got that right."

                "Yeah.  I think you would like to know why I'm here."

                "That sounds good.  I would think that there is a school close to Roshi's island somewhere."

                "Well, there isn't.  That's why I'm here.  I'm also here because Krillin suggested that I meet some new people.

                "You see…I'm sort of like an orphan.  Both my parents died when I was nine, around the same time that Cell arrived.  After the Cell Games, I went to train under Mr. Satan, figuring that it would help me out in the long run.  I trained under him for a couple of years, learning his fighting style, which compared to Krillin's, is atrocious.

                "I met Videl back when I was nine, and she was ten.  She set me up at a local housing development, ensuring me that I would have a quality way of living.  After three years though, I decided that I had enough of Satan's dojo and moved on.  I read a story about Master Roshi and the Power of Light, and how he is only one of a very select amount of people who knows about the legendary Kamehameha Wave.  I took it upon myself to learn his ways.  I set off for his island and arrived three months after I started the journey.

                "Now about the school.  Five month's ago Krillin got a call from Bulma saying that your mother was considering allowing you to attend high school."

                "Whoa, wait!  My mom decided this five months ago?"

                "She thought about it then.  She decided four months ago."

                "I see.  No wonder why she had me stop studying all of a sudden," Gohan said, thinking out loud.

                "You done visiting your past?"

                "Huh?  What about you?  I only said one thing."

                "Be quiet.  That's not important.  Besides, I'm almost done."  Gohan was becoming a little peeved at Shinji at the moment.  He contemplated just tossing him over the edge of the building they were on – and shooting a Masenko attack at him.

                "You know how much effort it is taking me to not throw you half way across the city?"

                "I know.  That's why it's fun poking at you.  Can I finish?" Shinji asked.  Gohan gave him a half-attempted death glare before sighing.

                "Fine.  Finish."

                "Thank you.  So five months ago, Krillin got Bulma to hire a tutor for me to teach me some things that I had forgotten.  I did well enough on the entrance exams to get into the third year level of high school.  Along the way I discovered your genius level with the entrance exams.  How the hell did that happen?"

                "My mom.  She was very…instrumental with my education."

                "I see.  But this is my story."  Gohan could only nod.  He would occasionally glance over from his spot on the ground to the younger boy, keeping a good ear on his words.  They were currently on the same building as yesterday, except this time they were looking over the edge that faced north.  Yesterday they looked towards the east side of the city.

                The north side of the city had most of the shorter sized buildings.  In fact, the largest building in the north was Satan City Hospital, which stood only fifteen stories high.  The rest of the buildings were less than ten stories in height.  The main reason for this was because of the twin helicopter pads situated on the roof.  One of the pads was currently occupied with a familiar yellow helicopter, and its owner was about to become the current topic of discussion between the two males.

                "Do you think Videl will recognize you if she saw you again?"

                "I'm not sure.  I didn't talk to her a whole lot, so I really don't know her too well.  She occasionally stopped by the housing complex to see how I was doing.  She also taught me some stuff.  You wouldn't believe how much better she is at martial arts than her father."

                "That good, huh?"

                "Looking back at who she was then, I would say she had potential.  She still has it.  It would take something big to convince her."

                "She believes her dad?"

                "Too much.  She's a good girl, but what Hercule said has heavily corrupted her.  Hell, he had me convinced for a while."

                "Yeah.  Speaking of which, I still have to finalize Saturday with Bulma."  Shinji perked his ears at this.

                "Why?  What's happening Saturday?"  Gohan went over the story until now.  He told him about how Videl wanted to show him what a real 'date' was like, instead of experiencing a 'date' ala Erasa.  He then told Shinji about the plan to go to Capsule Corp in West City and attempt to take a tour.

                "After dinner yesterday, I went to Bulma's and told her of my plans.  She told me that she would help me out in any way possible with Videl, whatever that supposed to mean.  My mom flipped out naturally.  I got to tell you; women are confusing."

                "You got that right.  Still, you are quite dense."

                "Will you stop calling me dense?!"  Gohan was a bit red right now.  Sure, Shinji was a pain, but he had gotten used to him the past couple days.  He still didn't like being called 'dense' by him, however.

                "Gohan, get a grip!  There is a reason why your mom and Bulma act like this," Shinji started.  Gohan had completely lost focus.  Instead, he was staring at the yellow copter casually sitting on top of Satan City Hospital.

                Yes, that yellow copter.

                "Gohan?  Gohan?  Are you listening to me?"

                "Isn't that…Videl's copter?" he asked quietly.

                "Huh?  Where?"

                "Over there.  See?" he said, pointing in the direction of the hospital.  It took Shinji a couple of seconds before picking up on what Gohan was looking at.

                "I think that is.  What you getting at?"

                "Why would she be over there for?"

                "Beats me."

                "Let's go check it out," Gohan said.  He turned super saiyan and proceeded to remove his vest, placing it inside of his school bag.  He let his tail hang off of his waist, swinging lazily behind him.

                "Whoa!  Whoa!  You want to see why she's there?  Like that?"

                "Well, I don't want to go in the hospital.  We'll just fly over and see what room she's in from the outside.  Besides, she doesn't know it's me like this."

                "So true.  Fine, just give me a second."  Shinji reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses and tossed them on.  He went back to his bag and ruffled through it some before coming across a blue baseball cap.  He placed it backwards on his head, cleverly concealing his hair.  "There.  I'm set."

                "Good.  Let's go."  They lifted off and traveled the short distance over to the hospital.

                Gohan and Shinji flew until they were about two hundred feet above the highest part of the building.  From there, the half saiyan went to work on finding Videl.  He had a bit of trouble finding her among the hundreds of people occupying the hospital at the current time.  He eventually found her energy signature on the ninth floor.  He began floating down, but before getting anywhere, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

                "Gohan, you sure you want to do this?" asked Shinji.

                "No.  I honestly don't," he said, looking over at the younger teen.  "I'm afraid of what I might find.  Erasa told me a little while ago that Videl would show me something important someday soon, though."

                "And you're afraid that this might be it?"

                "Yeah."

                "Well…put it like this.  This thing could make or break anything you got with her."

                "Huh?" Gohan said, confused.  "What you mean by that?  You're sounding like Bulma right now.  We're just friends, just to let you know."

                "I see.  Just remember my words.  Now lead the way."

                The two began their descent down.  They stayed close to the building, gliding down between the windows to avoid detection.  Gohan did an energy check again and spotted Videl's signature near the center of the west side of the building, the current side they were on.  They arrived at the window and peaked inside between the curtain spaces.  What they saw would put a wrench on their hearts for weeks to come.

                The first thing they saw was Videl, with her back to the window and her head bend down.  She was slouched forward in the chair she was in, which was positioned at the top of the bed, to the right side of it.  They noticed her hands, which were lying on the bed in front of her, with another person's hand locked inside hers.  The hand itself was a milky white color.  They followed the person's pale arm up along to the shoulder, and to the face, which revealed a woman.  A breathing tube wrapped around her ears, connected at the nostrils itself and ran down to a breathing pump off on the left side of the bed.  Several IV tubes ran from the stand with the breathing pump as well, connecting to a needle insert in the woman's left hand.

                Then it hit Gohan.

                "Oh…my…Kami…" he whispered.

                "What is it Gohan?  What is it?"

                "This woman…here.  It's…its Videl's mother."

                "Oh…Gohan.  Let's get out of here."  They were prepared to leave, except for what they were going to hear next.

                "Oh mom.  I know I've told you about him before.  This boy that showed up at school last week," Videl said, whispering to her mom.  Even through the closed window, Gohan heard what she said.

                "Is she…talking about…me?"

                "He is a dork, just by the way he acts."

                _Yeah.  It's me._

                "He is a nice guy though.  There's something about him that makes him different from the others.  For one, he doesn't talk to me like I'm the daughter of Hercule.  I got a feeling he doesn't like him that much.  That makes three of us mom."

                "Gohan!  What's the hold up?" Shinji asked.  He started moving away from the building, but turned to see Gohan still against the hospital wall.

                "Quiet Shinji!  She's talking about me."

                "She is?"  He quickly joined Gohan's side, trying to listen to Videl's conversation.

                "Well, we're going out on Saturday, over to West City.  That should be fun.  I'm going to try to get us into Capsule Corp and meet the Briefs.  I just want to take a tour and see if I can come back again."

                "Gohan, I can't hear her.  What is she saying?"

                "Hold on," Gohan responded, waving his hand down, telling Shinji to keep quiet.

                "I'm not sure what else to say today.  Oh, one more thing.  Daddy dearest is taking a two-week vacation to the United States starting this Friday.  It's not that you care; I know that.  Well, I think that you do.  I'm going to be left alone while he is gone and also with giving everyone in the mansion a vacation.

                "I can't wait till you wake up mom," she said, tears beginning to flow from her eyes.  "I hope that one day, you'll be awake, and I can…spend time with…you."  She paused for a moment, wiping the tears from her eyes.  "I'm going to go mom.  I'll…see you Monday."  She bent forward and kissed her mom on her head.  She then got up, fixing her blanket, and giving her one last look, exited the room.

                Gohan was visibly shaken by what had just happened.  The very words spoken by Videl had grabbed his heart and squeezed it.  By the time she left, Gohan was left with two tears streaking down his face.

                He hadn't cried for over six years before now.  Gohan turned away from the window, leaning against the concrete wall.  He stared into nothing, contemplating the entire scene through his eyes many times over.  Shinji just floated there, not saying anything to Gohan.  He had a feeling that no words could explain what just happened.  They stayed there in dead silence for what felt like an eternity, but was only for a couple of minutes.

                Gohan broke the silence.  "I think…we shouldn't have come here."

                "Gohan…what just happened?"

                "It was Videl's mom.  She was talking to her, and…and it was incredibly painful to listen to.  I feel so horrible right now."

                "You want to go home?"

                "That sounds like a plan.  I need to think this over for now.  I'll talk to you later Shinji."

                "Same to you Gohan."  They both left the hospital, flying their separate ways.

* * *

                "You ready Gohan?"

                "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

                "Good.  Let's go."

                The scene was West City – more specific, it was Capsule Corp.  Currently at the front gate are Gohan and Videl, contemplating how to go inside.  After standing there for a good minute, Videl finally decided to just barge up to the front door and ask for a tour.  She, however, was nervous as all hell.

                Gohan only pretended to play the part.  He went over practically everything with Bulma a couple of days before.  He made sure that Vegeta would stay out of the way for the most part.  She went off and told him to stay in the gravity room or be forced to go without food for the weekend.  Vegeta demanded to get at least one spar with Gohan that weekend, which ended up completing the deal.

                Saturday had come around quickly for the pair.  School went by as nothing exciting happened.  Videl had a nagging notion within her about Gohan, though.  She saw him with a completely different attitude around her.  Instead of being a good friend, he was a rather great – and caring – friend.  She had no idea what brought on the change, nor did she care.  Well, for one or two instances where it got annoying to be helped out a great deal.  She liked the change, though, in the end.

                Videl pressed the COM button located at the main gate.  It took a few seconds before a voice came over the speaker.  "Who do you want?" asked the young voice.

                "I would like to see Ms. Briefs, please," Videl calmly replied.

                "Huh…hold on a second…_Mom!" the voice yelled away from the speaker.  "__Someone is at the door!"  The speaker went quiet for a second before a lady was heard yelling at the young kid.  Then there was a shuffle, before:_

                "Hello.  Mrs. Briefs here."

                "Huh, hi.  My name is Videl Satan.  I was wondering if a friend and I could take a tour of your place."

                "Satan, huh?  What, you expect me to give you a tour because you're a Satan?"

                "Um…well…erm…" Videl was quickly becoming embarrassed with the developing situation.  Gohan could only chuckled behind her.  He tried desperately to keep it under his breath, and he nearly gave way.

                "Don't worry.  I'll give you a tour.  Just go up to the front door and I'll let you in," Bulma said.  Videl quickly gave a sigh of relief and Gohan swallowed whatever laughter he had left.  They made their way up towards the front door, where Bulma stood, looking a bit of a wreck at the moment.  Videl picked up on it.

                "Um…Ms. Briefs, would it be okay if we came back later?  You don't look like you're ready to give a tour."

                "Oh…what?"  She looked down and studied herself for second.  "Nonsense!  Now, come this way."  She turned and entered the house.  The two teens followed.  She went to the kitchen and proceeded to start on snacks and refreshments.  Gohan and Videl took seats next to each other at the table.

                Bulma brought them their food and saw the closeness in their seating.  _What a dog, Gohan.  Chichi would be so proud.  She decided to prod at them for the time being.  "So…Videl.  Who is this manly stud?"_

                _Manly stud?  What is Bulma thinking? Gohan though, panicking.  Videl let out a laugh at her comment._

                "This 'manly stud', as you put it, is Gohan.  He's a friend of mine from school."

                "I see.  Hello, Gohan."

                "Hello, Mrs. Briefs.  How are you today?"

                "Well I'm doing mighty fine.  Thanks for asking.  Now eat up you two.  I'll be back shortly."  She gave Gohan a wink as she walked away.  Gohan took that wink…but in the completely wrong way that Bulma intended.

                "Hey Gohan," Videl asked, leaning over to Gohan.

                "Yeah?"

                "Is she married?"  Gohan snickered in his head.

                "I think so.  She addressed herself as Mrs. Briefs over the speaker."

                "Oh man…" she whispered out.

                **SLAM!  The sound of Videl's head hitting the table.**

                Repeatedly.

                "Videl…Videl?  Are you okay?"  He placed a hand on her back, trying to console her.

                "I was calling her Ms. instead of Mrs.  Oh man."  **SLAM!**

                "Videl!"

                "Sorry!  Sorry!"  She sat up straight for a little bit.  Gohan looked over to her, checking to see if she was all right.

                Unbeknownst to them, Bulma was looking at the pair through a secret two-way mirror conveniently located at a tile set between the kitchen and the stove, which also gives a spectacular view of the entire kitchen.  Her target right now was the naïve saiyan and the daughter of a fraud.  _Ooooo, look at Gohan go.  They'll be together in no time.  Chichi will be so happy!_

                Things progressed this way for the next three or four minutes.  Gohan was keeping watch over Videl and tried to prevent her from slamming her head on Bulma's kitchen table.  Videl…well, she succeeded in doing so a few times.  Gohan had to physically restrain her after the progression of three minutes.  He turned her to see her face to face.

                And that's when things got a little interesting.

                "Videl," Gohan started, "Don't worry about it, okay?  She probably didn't even notice.  Hell, I don't even think many people know that she's married."

                "Huh?  And how would you know that?"  She stared deep into his charcoal eyes, trying to find an answer.

                "Well…um…"  Gohan was at a loss for words.  He sat silent for a few seconds, looking straight into Videl's blue eyes.  He found his answer.  "You got nice eyes, Videl."

                All right, so his answer wasn't the one he was looking for.

                "What…was that…Gohan?"  He didn't respond.  He was lost; lost in Videl's eyes, searching its many depths.

                "I…erm…umm…what did I just say?"  It was too late though.  Videl had kept cycling his nice comment through her head.  She kept a steady lock on his eyes, with their heads a good eighteen inches in between.

                Out of nowhere, Videl suddenly reached her right hand up, the one closest to Gohan, to the back of his head.  She turned her body, facing his.  She lazily grabbed some of Gohan's hair, passing his smooth hair through her fingers.  A look of awe was on her face.  She studied the intricate features of his face, down to the last nook and cranny.  "You know…you have nice eyes too," she whispered, seductively.  She slowly moved her face in for the kill.

                Gohan wasn't like Videl right now.  Hell, he was downright panicking.  He turned red the moment her had grabbed the back of his head.  He gritted his teeth, preparing for the worst.  And then it happened.  She began moving forward, which cause Gohan to panic even more.  With every inch Videl moved, Gohan would move away that inch.  He soon was running out of space, and he leaned back on the chair, quickly losing ground.  He was in danger on falling off backwards, but Videl didn't seem to notice.  She was now mere centimeters from his face, ready to smack one right on his lips.

                Then they both fell, Gohan going backwards and Videl landing right on his waist, straddling it.  Her hands were conveniently located just above his shoulders.  His hands were, inconveniently, located on her hips.  Gohan, surprisingly, got even redder when he finally noticed.  He looked up to Videl's face, and from there, he got scared.  She was grinning madly, seeing how she was in the perfect position for the kill.

                "You know Gohan…I've never been in this type of situation before," she said, even more seductive than before.                  

                "Gee…that's…great, Videl.  I've…never been…in this situation before too," he responded, quickly losing whatever grip he had left of his sanity.  Lying on the floor like this would explain his loss of saneness.

                "Good.  Then you wouldn't mind if I gave you a…quick…kiss…" she whispered.  She moved her face towards his, and this time, Gohan had nowhere to go.

                _What is happening with Videl?  Why is she so desperate to kiss me?  I only said she has nice eyes.  Wait.  Oh shit.  I mean crap.  Damn mother instilling me with a good heart.  Why am I thinking about my mom's morals at a time like this?  I'm quickly losing control of this situation and it appears that Videl is about to do something that we will probably regret.  At least I will.  I like her as a friend, for crying out loud!  Man, this is weird.  I wish something – anything! – can stop her from doing this._

                Luck just happened to be on Gohan's side that day.  Videl leaned in close until she again was mere centimeters from Gohan's face.  Her hair draped down in her ponytails on the floor, lying along next to Gohan's ears.  She dropped down to her elbows, and used her right hand to mess with Gohan's hair.  She laughed slightly, and leaned in more, until her lips were just above his.  "Face it, Gohan.  There's nothing you can do right now.  Your min-" **BEEP!  BEEP!**

                _What was that? Gohan thought.  He watched Videl meticulously.  She remained just above his lips for a few more seconds before getting back on her hands.  She sat back on his waist, and pressed a button on her watch._

                "What?!" she yelled.  "This better be important!"

                "Videl!  Thank Kami!  Are you still in West City?"

                "Yes.  Your point?"

                "Well, we told the West City Police that you'll be there for a part of the day and they seriously need your help at this time!"

                "Grr…where at?"

                "According to our GPS [1], there is a hostage situation about three blocks from your current location.  And by looking at that, I see you are at Capsule Corp."

                "Three blocks away, huh?  I'll be there soon."

                "You know, I wish I could go to Capsule Corp someday.  It would be nice to visit _the Bulma Briefs someday."_

                "Chief!  I got to go!"

                "Oh, right.  Sorry.  Good luck, Videl!"  The line on her watch closed.  Videl remained on Gohan's waist for another minute or so, thinking over what just happened.  She looked down at Gohan, who had a strange look on his face.  He was still beat red.  She got in close again and looked him straight in the eyes.  He could tell she was serious.

                "Don't…tell…anyone.  You got it?"

                "Y-yes…Vi-Videl."

                "Good.  Tell _Mrs. Briefs that I have police business to attend to a few blocks away.  I'll be back in about fifteen-twenty minutes.  You got that?"_

                "Y-yes…Videl."

                "Good.  After that, we can go home.  I'll fly you home, considering it is quite a distance from here to wherever your house is, and it would still give me time to get my ass home."

                "O-o-okay…Videl."

                "Good.  And stop worrying!  You're pissing me off!"

                "Oh!  Sorry Videl!"

                "Good."  She got up off of his waist and left.  Gohan remained on the kitchen floor for the time being.  His arms remained loose by his side, and his legs laid flat on the floor.  The red on his face was fading away.  He stayed there until he heard footsteps coming towards him.  He looked up, and saw Bulma enter his view.  She had a huge smirk on her face.

                "What's that for, Bulma?"

                "I'm just wondering whether or not to tell your mom about what just happened."

                "What?!  You saw?!"

                "Two-way mirror…right about…there!  Between the fridge and the stove," she said, pointing to the exact spot on the wall where she was looking through.

                "You…saw…everything.  My life…I think it just went by my eyes."

                "Hey, don't worry kiddo.  You'll live.  Now I suggest you get up and help Videl.  I heard on the police scanner that it is a major hostage situation, and I don't think she can handle it by herself."

                "All right," he said, getting up off of the floor.  He jetted out of the kitchen.  "See you soon, Bulma!" he shouted back.  He turned super on the way to the front door and took off the vest he was wearing.  He shucked the tie away as well and as soon as he took five steps outside he felt for Videl's energy and blasted off towards her, ready to assist at the hostage situation.

* * *

                Videl arrived on the scene in less than three minutes.  She took cover behind on of the cop cars and asked the head officer about the situation.

                "There are four men currently inside the bank.  They got there about fifteen minutes ago and demanded money.  The first cop car here happened to spot the robbers ready to make a break for it and called backup.  They haven't made a move yet but are demanding safe passage out of the city."

                "How many hostages do they have?"

                "Our estimates have five tellers and about twelve costumers being held up."

                "Damn it!  This is going to be tough."

                "Mind if I help?" asked a voice from behind Videl.  She turned to see the Gold Fighter standing there, looking down at her, and occasionally glancing at the scene.

                _The Gold Fighter?!  How does he just suddenly reappear after nearly two weeks to help me out?_

                "Um…sir, this is official police business.  I'm going to have to ask you to –"

                "Chief, wait."  She stood up and looked at Gohan for a moment.  "Let him help.  He saved me once before, and I could use a hand."

                "But, Vid –"  
                "No 'buts', chief.  He stays."  She turned back to Gohan after quieting the chief.  "Don't do anything stupid, okay?  We got a lot of hostages right now, and I would like for all of them to go home today."

                "No problem.  Just tell me what to do."  Videl began contemplating the situation.  She got a quick idea.  "Hey, since you can lift buses without any effort, you think you can dodge bullets?"

                "Dodge them?  That's easy, but I can also do one better."

                "What's that?"

                "Don't worry.  I think I know where you're getting at."

                "Good, then I don't have to explain myself."  She got up and ran off to an adjacent building, out of the view of the gunmen in the bank.

                "Just make sure they don't see you Videl!" he said to her as she was leaving.

                "Hey!  Who are you kid?" the chief asked to Gohan, who was beginning to move towards the bank.

                "Haven't you heard?"  The chief shook his head.  "I'm the Gold Fighter."

                _The Gold Fighter?!  In West City?!  _

Gohan floated over the series of cop cars in his way and landed in the parking lot of the bank.  He walked forward, drawing the attention of the gunmen.

                "Hey!  Don't come any closer or we'll open fire!" yelled the lead gunman.  Gohan continued moving forward.  He wasn't in the mood to listen to the gunmen right now, especially after what just happened back at Bulma's.  Well, he was kind of happy, at least to get away from Videl for the time being.  "I said stop!" the lead gunman yelled again.

                Gohan didn't stop.

                "That's it!  Open fire on this idiot!"  With that, a reign of lead flew towards Gohan as three of the four gunmen opened fire.  Gohan lifted his hands up and let out a yell.  The bullets instantly vaporized about two feet in front of the young saiyan, as they impacted an energy shield erected in front of him.  The gunmen kept firing until they heard the collective sounds of 'clicks' and empty cartridges.

                At the same time, Videl made her way around to the back of the bank, sneaking in through the back door.  She quickly and quietly ran down the hall until she made her way to the teller area.  She kept low and watched as the gunmen began firing on the Gold Fighter.  She saw the bullets suddenly disappear when they approached him.  _What's this?  The bullets seem to be…evaporating!  What is this?  Some kind of trick?!_

                She couldn't worry about that now.  Videl turned to her left and saw all five tellers leaning against the wall.  She also saw the fourth gunman keeping an eye on them as well as all the costumers.  Using this to her advantage, she quickly ran down the teller area, until she appeared behind the gunman.  She hid behind the desk and told the tellers with a simple finger to her mouth to keep quiet.  She them made her move.

                Gohan knew what she was doing the whole time.  She kept a steady lock on her energy, and watched as she flipped over the desk and took out the fourth gunman, the only one not involved with the shootout.  With him out, Gohan swiftly disarmed the rest of the gunmen before they could reload.  He looked over to Videl, who was stalking the fourth gunman.

                "Hey, you could have these if you want to.  They're not so dangerous now."  Videl looked up and smiled.

                "Why thank you," she said, and jumped over to where the gunmen were.  Gohan stared in awe, watching her move with elegance and grace.  Then she got dirty, and Gohan cringed a bit, listening to the cracking of bones and the groans of men being hit in various places.  Seeing that she had complete control, he walked to the front door and opened it.

                "You can leave now," he said to the costumers and tellers.  They quickly evacuated, just as Videl was putting the finishing touches on the gunmen.  He walked over to them and looked at them with a slight twitch on his face, looking at the mass of arms, legs and torsos that occupied the floor.  He gulped and looked over to Videl.

                "You know…I think you got them real good."

                "Why thank you."  They walked outside and motioned for the cops to take over.

                "I must get going now," Gohan said.

                "How come?"

                "I got some business to attend to elsewhere.  It was good to help you out."

                "This is twice that I owe you now, you know."

                "Huh?  Who ever said anything about owing?"  Videl walked up to him and stared at his face.  She noticed it looked a bit familiar.  She decided to ignore that for the moment.

                "From last week, remember?  You saved my life as well as a bus load of kids!"

                "Oh, that.  It was nothing.  You don't have to owe me anything.  I'm just here to served and protect, just like you."  From there, he took a step back and lifted off into the air.  "I'll see you around, Videl."  He soon disappeared from view.

                _Strange.  He looks kind of like Gohan.  I should have taken a closer look at his clothes.  That might have answered it.  I'll let him fight next time and watch him._

* * *

                It was the third week of school - and the last week of September - which made the world change for the worse.  It was Monday morning, first period of class, and everyone was where they were supposed to be.  Gohan took his end seat and Erasa took hers next to him after some heavy apologizing.  Videl took her original seat and Sharpener remained in his.  Gohan opted not to talk about the moment he and Videl had back on Saturday in Bulma's kitchen, especially to Videl, which left the girl rather confused about her current situation.  They admittedly lied to their two friends about what actually happened.

                As first period got underway, there was a rather large knock on the door.  The teacher went over to it and opened it.  No one saw his jaw drop at what he saw.

                "How may I help you, sir?" he asked.

                "This is my first day of class.  I would like to go in," the student replied.  Gohan was the only one hearing the conversation.  Videl looked down at the door, and then took a peek at Gohan for no apparent reason.  His face was focused on what was happening at the door.

                "Hey Gohan, what's happening down there?" she asked him across Erasa.

                "There is a new student here.  From the looks of it, the teacher is thoroughly confused about him."

                "How come?"  Her question was answered by the teacher's return to the center of the room.

                "Attention class," he started, "We have a new student here today.  I would like for all of you to meet Gendo."

                And then they saw the reason why the teacher nearly soiled himself.  The monstrous form of the student was unbelievable.  He stood nearly seven feet tall, easily making him the tallest there.  He had spiky black hair, and wore an unusual bandana, covering his forehead.  He wasn't lanky or anything, but quite the opposite.  He sported unusually large muscles - larger than Sharpeners and Hercules - that pressed against his muscle shirt.  Several blood vessels lined his arms, and also ran along parts of his chest.  No one could say anything about him.  Sure, they had Gohan for fun, but this guy could probably give Videl a run for her money.

                "Um…Gendo.  You can go and take a seat anywhere you like."  The large teen did just that.  Without a word, he quickly found a seat at the top of the class and sat down.  He stared at the blackboard and stayed fixated on it.  The students he sat next to quickly shifted their seats to move as far away as possible from him.  Gohan, meanwhile, had watched him the moment he stepped into the room.  His face was fixed in a serious tone not seen for many years.  Videl noticed that, and truly began to wonder about Gohan.

                _Why is he staring at him like that?  Sure, the guy is freaking huge, but there's no reason to look at him like that.  I've never seen Gohan so serious before.  He goes from nearly pissing himself to complete focus ness in a weekend!  That Gendo is strange as well.  I got a weird feeling coming from him._

                "Now class, we will continue with…"

* * *

                Lunchtime.  It was the same lunchtime as it was everyday.

                Well…at least all the others were.

                Gohan made his way to lunch, followed by Videl.  They quickly ordered their lunch - Gohan going for the larger than normal meal, Videl with the usual - and found their usual table.  Gohan sat down so that he was facing the door.  He began some light discussion with Videl before spotting Shinji.  He waved him over and sat down on the opposite side of Gohan and Videl.

                "How's it going Shinji?" Gohan asked.

                "Not bad.  I got some weird feeling about something today though."

                "Yeah, I know.  You'll see him shortly."  Gohan kept his eyes on the door for a few seconds longer before getting elbowed in the ribs.  "Ow!  Videl, what was that for?"

                "Are you going to introduce me to your friend here, or am I going to have to do that myself?"

                "Oh, right.  Sorry.  Videl, this is Shinji.  Shinji, this is Videl."  The two reached across the table and shook hands.

                "Nice to meet you Videl."

                "Shinji, huh?  Don't I know you from somewhere?"

                "Maybe…"

                "Huh-uh."  She left it like that.

                "Shinji…look at the door now."  Shinji did what Gohan told him to do and saw what he was feeling earlier today.  Gendo came into the lunchroom, clearly being one of the, if not, the tallest students in the school.

                "I got a bad feeling about this Gohan."

                "I know."

                "Wait!  What are you two talking about?" Videl asked, confused by the cryptic nature of their discussion.  "If you're saying there is something weird with this guy then I guess you're right.  There is something strange about him.  I can't put by finger on it though."

                "_Shinji, you hear me?" Gohan asked._

                "_What are you doing?"_

                "_Saiyan telepathy, I think"_

"_That's cool."_

"_We got to make this quick.  I'm getting a headache."_

"_So am I.  I don't like people in my head you know."_

"_Just shut up for a second.  I'm getting nothing from this guy."_

"_What you mean?"_

"_I mean, I'm getting nothing.  No energy read out, nothing.  All I feel is something dark and brooding."_

"Oh no…" Shinji said out loud.

                He and Gohan knew.  They knew it was the beginning of something bad.

* * *

[1] In case you people don't know, GPS means 'Global Positioning Satellite'.  Or something along those lines.

Response to reviews:

vsd2oc – 1) Wow…thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  2) As you can see above, Shinji is Gohan's so called 'competition'.  Don't worry though, after what happens next chapter, Gohan will be assisting Shinji some.  3) Again, thank you.  It's so good to hear that I'm on someone's favorite list.

Megami-sama (and Trunks) – Well, thank you for your conversation piece.  Nice title suggestion, by the way.  There is no way I would use it though, figuring that any piece of fanfic could be called that.  Still, thank you for the review, and there's a point you made in you review that I'll be addressing later.

RDBRaptor – It's good you got off of your lazy butt and started something.  Hopefully I can find it and read it.  One thing I should tell you is that Gohan will soon be getting a costume, namely after the next chapter, but he won't become Saiya-dork.  Shinji's costume, by the way, will remain like it is, with dark glasses and some type of hair covering. I do hope that this does stay awesome too.  Thanks for the review.

Pupetta – The answer to the sensei question is above.  Thanks for everything else you said.  I was kind of worried about everything with Vegeta, but at least one person said it was good.  I did watch a future episode where Vegeta makes that kind of omission, just in case anyone wants to check.

Poppy – Thanks.

A-man – Thanks.

Timothy Thomasson – Thanks for the review and the title suggestions.

Time Twins – Likewise.

I would have like to get this out sooner.  Two very important reasons, however.  One, my grandfather passed away back on the 21st, which set me back three days on writing this.  Second, this was incredibly hard to write.  My pattern of thought just has the basic plot mechanics for each chapter.  When it comes to dialogue, however, I tend to take a very long time in getting it right.  The history of Shinji wasn't supposed to be there for another couple chapters.  That Gohan/Videl moment – came up with it last night.  I wasn't planning on having them so close so soon.  Don't worry, as evident at the end of this chapter, they aren't getting anywhere closer to being together.  There's a plan to it all.  Trust me.

Next item of agenda: the name for this story.  I'm sticking with my guns here and keeping the story name as is.  Thanks to everyone who gave a title suggestion, though.  If anyone who comes across them likes what they see, take it; just say that you got your story idea from a suggestion made by that person from a review list.  I'd hate to be shot at.  I did like all the title suggestions, especially Megami-sama's.

Speaking of which, my last item of agenda.  She made a comment in her review about Trunks being Shinji and Vegeta being the little birdy.  Suffice to say, I am going to work with a select cast of characters; namely the main characters that appeared during the Saiyaman saga.  No one from the future or past is going to make an appearance.  Goku is coming back; don't worry.  The reason I am bringing this up is because I have read stories where the author tends to bring in a huge amount of people from certain times and it just clutters up everything.  The story hops all over the place and the plot becomes nonexistent.  Now, I know that those types of stories are there just to make people laugh, but it becomes tedious to have to reread three chapters just to figure out what is supposed to be happening now.  And why I just ranted about this, I have no idea…

I lied.  This is my last item of agenda.  You may notice in the chapter listing 'Part One' next to the chapter.  Simply put, everything is going to be divided.  Part one is right now.  Part two is going to be the tournament.  Part three is planned, but it will become evident soon what is going to happen.

Now I'm done.  I haven't gotten to next chapter's preview.  So now, I present to you…

Next chapter: Hercule is out of town, which means party, party, party!  Videl makes the plans, and gets one step closer to the mystery of Gohan.  Then, all hell breaks loose, as Gohan, Shinji and Videl witness what Gendo is really about, and the consequences may be devastating for our heroes.


	4. I:IV Good Party, Bad Party

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.  Just Shinji and Gendo.

Usual stuff at bottom.  Special double length chapter for you kiddies.  Enjoy.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic by ShaggyDiz

Chapter Four

* * *

                "Erasa…I think I have a problem."

                It was Thursday afternoon.  School had just let out and Videl had chased after Erasa.  Sharpener went to lift and Gohan disappeared shortly after the bell rang.  Videl had mentioned to Erasa that they needed to talk later, which brought them to now.  They were talking about random things before they got to their location – the popular ice cream parlor located not too far from school.

                The two went inside and ordered a couple of sundaes.  They took an empty seat near the back of the store, where no one would disturb them.  The girls went here because of the sometimes-overbearing volume level that this place had at times – perfect for a discussion like this.

                "Well…what is this problem of yours?" the blonde asked, taking a bite from her ice cream.

                "I never told you what happened back on Saturday at Capsule Corp.  It's for good reason too."

                "I see.  Just keep it down.  Rumor Ville has it right now that you two are an item."

                "Damn it.  I never wanted that to happen."

                "Videl…that's what happens when you sit at the same table with him every lunch period.  You're bound to get noticed one way or another."

                "Fine.  Who started this anyway?  I might want to inflict some pain soon."  Erasa giggled lightly.

                "It was one of those girly high school clubs where they decide who goes out with who and what not.  Gohan is a pretty popular kid among them.  I think they've been bugging him non-stop to have a chance to go out with him."

                "You should know how clueless that kid is.  It's down right hilarious to see him sometimes.  Like on Saturday…"

                "What about Saturday, dear?"  

Videl took a bite of her sundae and looked around, checking to see if anyone was close by.  There were some students near them, but they were in large groups and involved with their own conversations.  "Erasa, I scared the boy half to death."

                "Oh no," Erasa said, shaking her head.  "What happened?"  Videl thought for a second.

                "I nearly seduced him."

                Silence.

                That was followed by an earth-shattering shriek that could have been heard miles away.

* * *

                "Shinji…I think I have a problem."

                At approximately the same time, Gohan was having a discussion like this with Shinji, sitting on top of the second highest building in Satan City.  Gohan was currently in super, while Shinji donned his usual getup.  Gohan got there first and sat on the ledge, looking down at the city below.  Shinji arrived shortly thereafter, and that's when the conversation started.

                "What is this problem?  Ten bucks its Videl."  Gohan looked over to him before looking back down.

                "How'd you guess?"

                "What else would it be?"

                "You got a point."

                "Good.  Now where's my ten bucks?"

                "Huh?"

                "I said…you know what…never mind.  I'll tell you later.  Now what is this problem you have with her?"  Gohan thought it over for a second.

                "It happened back on Saturday, when we were hanging out.  She…kind of seduced me."

                "Seduced you?"

                "She seduced me."

                Silence.

                That was followed by an earth-shattering shriek that came from about a mile away.

                "I wonder what that was about?" Gohan thought out loud.

* * *

                "What is everyone looking at?" Erasa yelled.  "Go back to eating whatever you were eating and stop looking at me!"  Everyone returned to what they were doing.  At first came the uneasy silence, followed by a few brave souls restarting their conversations.  A minute or so later, everyone seemed to forget Erasa's outburst.

                "Erasa…that hurt my ears."

                "Oh…sorry.  You should have warned me though."

                "What?!…Oh forget about it."  She took a bite from her sundae.  "I don't know what came over me though," she said, continuing where she left off.

                "Continue."

                "Well…I was a little distraught in calling Mrs. Briefs _Miss_ Briefs.  Gohan tried to calm me down and I asked him what he meant by something."  She paused for a second.

                "And?"

                "He said I have nice eyes."

                Silence.

                "Wow…what a romantic.  You got to bag him Videl, you just have to!"

                "Erasa!"

                "Oh, right.  Um…continue."

* * *

                "So…I told her that and then I realized that I made a huge mistake."

                "How huge of a mistake?"

                "Well, when you're in that close of a proximity to a girl, screwy things happen.  At least I think that's what happens."

                "Gohan…you are clueless.  Continue though."  Earlier, when the shriek happened, they had paused for a second.  Gohan didn't know what it was, and Shinji just passed it off as some girl crying over a guy or something.  They resumed their conversation like Erasa and Videl did.

                "Okay…all of a sudden she just grabbed the back of my head and started playing with my hair.  I started to panic before but now I nearly lost it.  She told me something about me having nice eyes and then started leaning into me, wanting to kiss me!"

                Silence.

                That was followed by a bellowing laughter from Shinji.  He laughed so hard that he nearly fell off of the ledge.  Of course…prayers could always be answered.

                **WHACK!**  That was the sound of Shinji being sent off of the building by Gohan's fist.

                "Dude!  What was that for?!" yelled Shinji

                "You are constantly pissing me off, you know that?!"

                "You bring it on yourself Gohan!"  Shinji floated back up to where was sitting at.  "I'm sorry.  You have to be careful with these kind of things though, you know?"

                "You're right…I guess."

                "It's one of those many things in life we have to deal with.  It would have been nice to deal with it somewhat sooner than now.  Blame your mom for that."  Gohan nodded.  "Now, where did you leave off at?"

* * *

                "So then, after I leaned in, he lost his balance and we both fell on the floor.  My hands were at his head and his hands were on my hips.  The look on his face was priceless."

                The scene was totally different at the ice cream parlor.  Erasa got into a small laughing fit about Videl leaning in to kiss Gohan.  Since then, it's been a rather big joke to them.  Videl was relieved to get it off her chest with at least one person.  She still had to talk about it with Gohan soon, but with they way they've been acting towards each other the past couple of days, it would be a challenge that she would easily accept.

                "Hold on.  Hold on.  Did it look like this?"  Erasa contorted her face and held her hands in a way that looked eerily reminiscent to Gohan's panicked expression.  Videl giggled hysterically.

                "Yeah!  Yeah!  He looked exactly like that!  Hee, hee, hee!  That's too much Erasa!"

                "Okay, okay.  So what happened next?"

                "Okay.  We were like that, and I was like," she turned her head slightly and closed her eyes some.  Her voice went from happy to seductive.  " 'So…Gohan, have you ever been in a position like this?'  And he goes, 'Um…no Videl…I haven't.'"  She did her best impression of Gohan for that line.  "And then I go, 'That's good.  Why don't I just give you a quick kiss.'"  Her expression went back to seriousness for the last part.

                "What's wrong, Videl?"

                "I got so close.  I was so freaking close to kissing him."

                "What happened?"

                "My watch beeped.  Erasa…I was this frigging close!" she said, using her finger and thumb on her right hand to show the blonde the short distance between hers and Gohan's lips.

                "You were pissed, huh?"

                "Yeah.  Some of it went to Gohan though.  I kind of told him to not tell anyone in my 'deep threatening' voice."

                "Hmm…I guess that's what alienated him."

                "We still talk.  It seems different, though, especially after the way he acted towards me last Thursday and Friday."

                "What did he do those days?"

                "He was more…caring for some reason."

                "Hmm…maybe he just started liking you a bit more and decided that was a good way to show it."

                "You know…that could be it.  I have no idea how to find out though."

                "Oh, I got an idea…"

* * *

                "Man, girls are tough."

                "You got that right.  At least for you.  I've never had that problem before."

                "Well, that's good for you Shinji.  It's not good for me though.  I got scared!  It's not fun when you get scared because you got a girl straddling you!"

                "Heh.  You got a problem though.  It appears that you have a girl after you that you just want to be friends with, correct?"

                "Yes," Gohan said immediately.

                "Why don't you just tell her that?"

                "I…erm…um…"

                "You know what," Shinji said, reaching his arm across and slapping Gohan's back, "You got it made."

                "Got…it…made?  What do you mean by that?"

                "Well, either one of two things.  One, you like the girl, or two, you are scared shitless because of her.  Of course, I think it's a mix of both."

                "But…but…"

                "It's a good thing your mom decided to let you go to school.  This is the perfect place for you to learn about these things.  You'll get the hang of it eventually."

                "I hope so."

                "Good.  Now just remember, it's you decision about what you have to do with Videl.  You could tell her that you're not interested, or that you like to take it slow with her."

                "But, I don't like her that much."  Shinji got off the ledge and floated forward.  He turned around to face Gohan.  With the sunglasses on, Gohan didn't see the look of concern that was currently set in Shinji's eyes.

                "It may not seem like that now.  Like I said, take your time.  You'll be fine."  He was about to fly away when he remembered something.  "One more thing, Gohan."

                "Yeah?"

                "Rumor has it that you two are already together.  One of those silly clubs started it I think.  Just be careful what you do around her, because it might get out of hand."

                "Thanks Shinji."

                "No problem.  See you tomorrow."  He blasted off, back towards the Kame House.

                "I wonder what I'm going to say to her," Gohan wondered out loud.  He was looking down in the city streets, letting the time go by.  He perked his head up after a couple minutes when he got a thought.  "I wonder what she's going to say to me!"

* * *

                "A party?"

                "Yeah, a party!  It doesn't have to be a lot of people, and with that you don't have to worry about letting other people interfere with you and Gohan's affairs."

                "What do you mean by that?" Videl asked, a slight distain in her eyes.

                "I figure you would want to talk to him, that's all!  Jeez, don't look at me like that.  I was only saying that so that you can figure out how you feel about him."

                "Feel…he's a friend for crying out loud!"

                "Sure, sure.  Don't tell me that a little while from now."

                "Grr…Erasa.  You're pissing me off now."

                "Okay, okay!  Chill, girl.  You know, at least this will give you a chance to talk to Gohan; get yourselves back to more than a 'just talking' basis."

                "All right…that'll work…hopefully.  I just got to…call him and ask him."

                "Yeah."  They sat in silence for a moment.

                "Erasa."

                "Yeah?"

                "What's his phone number?"

* * *

                The search for the phone number was easy.  Videl went back to the high school after the girls finished their sundaes, and was able to acquire Gohan's phone number easily.  She was lucky to have a rich dad since the cost for the phone call would be rather expensive, to say the least.  She dialed the number and took a seat in a chair next to her bed.  It rang a couple times before it picked up.

                "Hello.  Son residence," a female voice said.

                _Son, huh?_  "Hi…is Gohan there?" Videl asked timidly.

                "I haven't seen him yet.  Can you hold on one second, I'll ask his younger brother."

                "Oh…um, sure."  She heard the phone being set down followed by a yell.  This gave her a bit of time to ponder.  _Hmm…who do I know that's a 'Son'?  The name is rather archaic.  I have heard of it before though._  She stopped her thought for the moment when she heard a bit of yelling occurring in the background.  Videl tried to listen, but could only pick up some words, like 'coming home' and 'minutes'.  She suddenly heard footsteps coming closer to the phone.

                "Hello?"

                "Yes?"

                "My son told me that Gohan should be home in a few minutes."

                "Oh, okay."  She was about to say goodbye and hang up, but Chichi took the current opportunity to find out about this caller.

                "So…which girlfriend of Gohan's is this?"

                "Girlfriend?  I'm sorry…but you got me mistaken.  I'm just a friend of his.  My name's Videl."

                "Oh!  So you're Videl…Gohan has said so much about you."

                "He has?"

                "Well, yeah.  He hung out with you last week, right?"

                "Yeah.  But – "

                "Bulma had some nice words to say about you to."

                "Bulma?  As in Bulma Briefs?"

                "She called me after you two left."

                "You know Bulma Briefs?"

                "We've known her for years.  Why?"

                "How come Gohan didn't tell me this?"

                "I think it was some plan he had between him and Bulma.  Some sort of surprise for you I believe."

                "Really?  That's cool, though I'm going to have to talk to him about it."

                "I see.  So how come you're calling?"

                "Oh, I wanted to ask him if he wanted to come to a party on Saturday night."

                "Oh really?"  A slight smirk formed on Chichi's face.  "Can you care to explain who will be at this party?"

                "There isn't going to be a lot of people.  It'll just be me, Gohan and two other people."

                "Will there be any alcohol there?  I don't want my son having any alcohol to drink."

                _Damn, she's tough._  "Nope, I won't be serving any alcohol," she said, lying.  _My dad's out of town, so we might as well have something there to drink._  "We're just going to sit, listen to music and get to talk about stuff."

                "That's good.  I think I'll let him go.  Should be a good learning experience for him."

                "Really?  Thank you!"

                "No problem dear.  Do you still want to talk to him when he gets in?"

                "Um…it's all right.  I'll talk to him in school tomorrow.  Can you tell him about the party though?"

"I will.  Anything else dear?"

_Might as well try this one._  "Well…I was thinking…"

                "About what?"

                "Last week, when I took Gohan home, it took a good two hours to get to your house.  I was wondering if, instead of taking him home, that he could stay the night on Saturday."

                "Hmm…are your other party guests going to stay the night?"

                "Yes."

                "Okay.  Gohan can stay the night.  I trust that nothing will happen between the two of you."

                "What makes you – "  She was cut off by the sound of a door opening and closing.

                "Gohan!  Is that you?" Chichi asked from the kitchen.

                "Yeah."

                "You have someone on the phone."  She redirected her attention back to the phone.  "Videl, dear, Gohan is home now.  He's coming over to talk to you."

                "Okay.  Thank you."  There was a shuffle on the other end.  Chichi handed the phone to Gohan.

                "Hello?"

                "Hey Gohan!"

                "Oh, hey Videl.  What's up?"

                "I was calling to invite you to a party Saturday night.  Your mom is letting you come to it."

                "Really?  Wow!  This is so cool."

                "Yup.  It's also a slumber party, because I am not flying your butt back home that night."

                "Slumber…party?"

                "Don't worry, Gohan.  It's just a sleep over, nothing more."

                "Oh, okay.  Who else is going to be there?"

                "Erasa and Sharpener.  They're the only people I can stand – as well as you – in that damn school."

                "I hear you.  Hey…can Shinji come too?"

                "Hmm…I don't see a problem with that.  He still reminds me of someone I knew from a few years ago."

                "Okay."

                "Hey, Gohan…can you do me a favor?"

                "A…favor?" Gohan gulped.

                "Don't worry, it's nothing big.  For now, just act normal and don't do anything to catch the attention of your mom."

                "Okay…"

                "I kind of lied to your mom about what's going on.  It's a sleep over, but I'm doing it because my dad and no one else are going to be there.  He normally wouldn't let me have parties, especially those where alcohol is involved."

                "Al…"

                "Gohan.  Be quiet."

                "Oh, right.  Sorry," he said sheepishly.

                "Now…I want you to stay quiet about this.  And, if you don't want to drink, it's fine by me.  I'm sure Sharpener and Erasa will have some, and I'll probably have a couple."

                "Shinji might too."

                "Well, all the better.  Be at my house by seven, if possible, okay?"

                "Okay, Videl.  I'll be there.  Thanks for the invite."

                "Sure thing.  I'll see you in school tomorrow."

                "Okay.  Bye Videl!" he said, hanging up.  He walked into his room and closed his door.  He locked it and proceeded to throw himself onto his bed.  Looking up into the ceiling, Gohan began a daydream of thoughts.

                _I wonder if we'll get the chance to talk during this party.  She seemed like she wanted to talk to me.  It's a good thing I got Shinji coming.  I'll have someone there to back me up just incase some strange thing happens between Videl and me._  He soon closed his eyes, continuing his thought.  Gohan fell asleep for a couple hours, wearing a smile on his face.

* * *

                "Damn it…I'm late!" yelled Gohan as he flew over Satan City.

                I know what you're thinking; that he's probably late for school.

                That's not the case _tonight_.  He had trouble preparing for Videl's party, and by the time he was ready to leave – in his usual school clothes, of course – it was six fifty-five PM.  He grabbed his backpack and bid his mother farewell before blasting off towards his destination: Videl's.

                Gohan decided along the way that, since he would be late, that he just take his time there.  No super saiyan change, just normal flight with the white aura.  He did some energy checking and found three people in the house, with a fourth person waiting outside at the gate.  _That must be Shinji.  Damn, he's going to give me hell._

                He landed in an alley a couple of blocks away from the mansion and began a brisk walk to it.  He arrived a couple of minutes later and saw Shinji leaning against the gate, impatiently tapping his foot and keeping his arms crossed over his chest.

                "You're late."

                "Shut up.  You're late too, you know."  Shinji uncrossed his arms and laughed.  He took a step to Gohan, who was now standing at the gate.

                "I beg to differ.  I got here a half hour ago and told them that I would wait for you out here.  I could tell just by your panicking energy level that you wouldn't get here till seven thirty."

                "Hey, I was just trying to find something good to wear."

                "Yeah.  Don't worry though; it's pretty laid back.  Sharpener brought some poker cards and a case of Japan's Finest.  Erasa, by now, is on her third, and I think she's going to be out by eight thirty."  Gohan's jaw dropped after the Erasa comment.

                "Damn."

                "Yeah.  'Damn'.  Now let's go.  I want to get some down before it's gone."

                "Oh, right," Gohan said, sheepishly.  The two crossed the short distance from the gate to the front door.  They went inside, and Gohan stood in awe at the size of the place.  Two staircases lined the sides and curved up to a second floor balcony.  There were doors at the bottom of each stairwell, each leading to separate living areas.  A hallway extended beyond the stairs, which led to a kitchen, a dining room and another stairwell, which led to a game room.  Beyond the kitchen lied one of two training areas and Hercules' personal sitting area, complete with TV, VCR and tapes upon tapes of previous tournaments, all starring the big simian himself.

                All, of which, were empty, except for the game room.  Videl, Sharpener and Erasa were the room's current occupants, soon to be joined by Gohan and Shinji.

                That is, when Gohan stops looking at the size of the entrance area.

                "Gohan!  Stop standing there and let's go!  The other are waiting," Shinji shouted to Gohan.

                "Sorry.  Lead the way."  They both went along the center hallway until they reached a door just before the kitchen.  Shinji opened it and the two teens descended the stairs into the game room.  The room itself was huge on its own rights.  There was a pool table and a table tennis located in the front half of the room.  Four couches lined the sidewalls, and several love seats were situation throughout.  A bar was set up on the back wall with six stools, and two round tables occupied the remainder of the space on the second half of the room.  A fridge with an open case of beer sat in front of it was located to the right of the bar, along with Sharpener, grabbing three beers.  The girls sat at the table closest to the fridge, and the hanging ceiling light was the only one on in the entire room.  The room, overall, could fit thirty people comfortably.

                "Hey Shinji!  Hey Gohan!" said the girls.  Sharpener only waved.  He took a seat and opened the beers.

                "Hey guys," Gohan responded.  He and Shinji took seats at the table: Gohan next to Videl and Shinji between him and Sharpener.  The jock passed a beer to Shinji, and then to Gohan.  "Um…I don't know about this, guys."

                "Gohan, chill.  Your mom won't know.  That's why you're spending the night here, or did you forget that already?" Shinji said, trying to reassure the confused saiyan.

                "I might as well try."  He took a sip of it and cringed at the taste.  The other teens simultaneously laughed at his face.

                "Dude, Gohan, that's not how you drink," Sharpener said.

                "Yeah.  You can't sip beer.  You got to let it slide down smoothly, like this," Videl said.  She took the beer in her hand and drank a small amount of it, letting the liquid slide down her throat.  "See?"

                Gohan nodded.  He tried it like that, and found it a little better on the throat.  "That's it," Erasa spoke up.  "The only thing now is to watch what you drink.  You find that you finish five beers in five minutes won't do you so good…like my situation right now."

                "How many is that Erasa?" Videl asked.

                "I think four."  

                Gohan stared wide-eyed at the girl. "Four…?  And you're still okay?"  

                Erasa giggled. "Of course.  I'm a bit buzzed, but I'll live.  I drink a lot, just to let you know."  She directed her attention back to the rest of the group.  "You know, we got to take this kid with us one time to one of the teen parties around here."  Nods or 'I agree' resonated from the group, except from Gohan.

                "I'll pass."  He took a sip of his beer and focused on what was happening at the table.  Shinji broke the short silence.

                "So what's the game?"

                "Five card," Sharpener said.  "I'm dealing.  Pass these chips around."  The first game was underway.  The cards were dealt, five down to each of the players.  The focus of this game will be on Gohan, of course, who has only played a couple games of poker in his life, none with money chips involved.  He got reassured again when the girls told him that no money would be involved and it would be just for fun.  Of course, loss of all chips would result in leaving the game.

                Gohan picked up his hand and arranged his cards accordingly, from lowest to highest.  He found himself with a deuce and three, both hearts, a seven of clubs, and a pair of tens, one heart and one diamond.  All the players went around, placing early bets.  Shinji went first, dropping two of his cards and picking up two more.  He studied them for a second before tossing them on the table.

                "Shit," he muttered.  "I'm out."

                Gohan went next.  He looked through his hand and decided to drop the three and seven.  Sharpener handed him two new cards.  He studied them a bit before leaning back in his chair.  "I'm good."

                The two girls each dropped three cards.  Videl folded her hand while Erasa flashed an evil smile.  Sharpener went last, discarding two of his own.  He picked up two more and was satisfied.

                "All right, Gohan.  You got first bet.  How much you putting in?"  Gohan thought it over for a second.  He then took two white chips and tossed it in the pile.

                "Two zenni."  Erasa took two white chips, tossed them in, and tossed in three more.

                "I see yours and raise it three more."  Sharpener looked at Erasa, trying to figure out her motive.

                "You're bluffing."

                "Try me," she said slyly.

                "Fine."  He grabbed five chips and played them.  "I'll play your bluff and the original two.  Gohan, you still in?"

                Gohan looked over his cards for a moment.  _Is this hand really worth three zenni?  I might as well play.  Erasa looks to be pulling something over there._  "I'll play your three," he said, tossing three zenni in.  He grabbed another one and tossed that in.  "I'll raise it one more."

                Erasa wasn't diverted so easily.  "I'll see it."  Sharpener played one as well, taking the risk.

                "I'll call.  What you got Erasa?" Gohan asked.  Erasa looked at the two boys before looking back at her hand.  She tossed her hand down, folding.

                "You got me."

                "That's what I thought," Sharpener said.  He took a swig from his beer and tossed his hand down.  He had a three-of-a-kind of nines, with a high card king.  "Try and beat that, Gohan."

                "I think I will," he said happily, showing his hand.

                "What the hell…three tens and a pair of deuces."  Sharpener said, staring stupidly at the full house.  "Shit…you win Gohan."

                "Yes!" he shouted ecstatically.  He grabbed the pile of chips from the center and added them to his own.  Sharpener recollected the cards during Gohan's glory moment and slapped the pile in front of him.

                "It's yours, Gohan.  Shuffle and deal."

                The poker game went that way for over an hour.  Everyone had their high moments, as well as their low moments.  No one expected Gohan to do better than he did, though.  He won a decent amount of games, including one where he found out another of Erasa's bluffs and collected over forty zenni chips.  Shinji was the first to bow out, losing all of his chips in about thirty minutes.

                Videl went next.  She had a nice winning streak but was hasty in some of her decisions, resulting in a major loss of chips.  She folded her last hand at about forty minutes into the game, which left Gohan, Erasa and Sharpener.  During the rest of their game, Shinji and Videl started a game of pool.  Videl easily won most of the games.

                The overall winner was decided just after an hour into the game.  Gohan was quick to go just as the hour past.  His inexperience in the game finally caught up to him at the end, and after some horrible decision making, lost the rest of his chips to Erasa.  Erasa, meanwhile, lost shortly thereafter, when she attempted another bluff and nearly won it, except for the fact that Sharpener had something better than her.  He played it safe there, and easily won the last hand.

                "Hey guys, I'm going to make a beer call.  We're almost out," Sharpener said.  He went upstairs to make the phone call.  Gohan and Erasa, meanwhile, joined Shinji and Videl at the pool table.

                "Gohan, Erasa, you two want in?" Videl asked.

                "Sure," Gohan responded.  Erasa, being the matchmaker that she was, decided to have fun.

                "I got an idea.  How bout mixed doubles?"  Shinji caught on as well, giving Erasa a wink unnoticed by Gohan and Videl.

                "That sounds good, Erasa," he said flatly.  "How about me and you versus Gohan and Videl?"  Videl looked over to Gohan, looking slightly confused.  He was only on his third beer, but with him never having a drink of alcohol before, was losing some control.

                "What you think, Gohan?  You want to kick some ass?" she asked.

                "I guess so.  I've never played before though."

                "Don't worry.  You just need to put that beer down and I'll tell you what to hit, that's all."

                "Sounds good to me, Videl."  The game began quite innocently.  It was a regular game of eight ball, with Videl providing the break.  She knocked down the seven, giving her and Gohan solids.  She quickly analyzed the situation.

                "All right Gohan.  I want you to hit this six ball into that corner pocket.  It's the easiest shot you got."  Gohan went to the table and saw his shot.  He walked around a bit and then took his stance.  It was a bit awkward, to say the least.  "Hey Gohan, I think it would be easier if you did this," Videl said, walking up behind Gohan and correcting his hands so that it would be easier to shoot.

                Of course, it was more milk for the batter for Shinji and Erasa.

                "Give them till the end of the night," Shinji whispered to the blonde.

                "End of the night?  I'm surprised that they haven't gotten on the table yet!"

                "Nah.  Gohan would have to sober up a bit.  Right now he's just a clumsy buffoon."

                "So true.  But look at them now!"

                "I see.  Chances are though, Gohan doesn't know what's happening."  He was right.  Gohan was a little on the 'no clue' side of things.  His expression shown otherwise, since he was blushing madly with Videl up against his back.  She got off soon enough though, which brought him some relief.

                "Okay Gohan.  Go ahead and shoot now."  He looked back at the table, seeing his hands and body in a good position.  He lined up the shot and took some pullbacks.  Satisfied, he shot the ball, ever wary of his power, and knocked the six ball into the corner pocket.  The cue ball bounced away harmlessly.

                "Wow…" he said, awestruck.

                It went this way for a while.  Videl and Gohan won a most of the games, with the girl doing most of the hard work, while Erasa won the remainder of the games with Shinji.  Sharpener returned downstairs at about nine-twenty with a couple of six-packs and placed them into the fridge.  Gohan, by then, was drunk.  He was the only one drunk there, and was forced to take a seat.  Shinji took a seat next to him and watched as the girls teamed up against Sharpener.

                "How's it going?" Shinji started.

                "Bad," Gohan said lazily.  Shinji could only laugh.

                "I hear you.  How many have you had?"

                "Um…four or five."

                "Four or five in an hour an a half.  Did you eat anything before you came here?"

                "Only…dinner."

                "Damn…might as well be that first time drunkenness thing."

                "Yeah…how come your…not drunk?"

                "I drink a lot with Krillin and Roshi.  Eighteen doesn't mind, though she prefer that Marron doesn't see it."

                "I…see."

                "You're not doing so good, huh?"

                "Nope," Gohan said, implanted in the chair, starting to look around the place.  Shinji stood up and started towards the pool table.  "Where you going?"

                "To get Videl.  I'm going to have her move you upstairs to relax a bit," he said over his shoulder.  Gohan watched as Shinji made his way to the pool table.  He saw look up for a moment when Shinji arrived.  Even with his hearing, he couldn't make out what was being said.

                "Hey Videl," Shinji said, arriving at the table.  The girl looked up and saw a bit of worry on his face.

                "What is it?"

                "It's Gohan.  He's not doing too good."  He pointed to where Gohan was on the couch and saw him swaying ever so slightly from right to left.

                "Damn it.  I got to get him upstairs."  She was about to go over when she felt a hand on her arm.  It was Shinji's.  "What?"  He got in close so that he could whisper in her ear.

                "He's pretty drunk.  If you plan on doing any talking to him about you know what, I would wait till he's sober or in the morning."  Videl looked at him, seeing a serious intent on his face.

                "What do you – "  Shinji cut her off.

                "We talked a couple of days ago about what happened.  He needed to get something off of his chest and he did so.  Don't worry, the secret is safe with me."

                "All right.  I'm going to talk to you once I get back down here though."  Shinji wasn't worried at all.

                "Very well.  Um…you going to need any help with him?"  They both looked at Gohan, who appeared to be doing the same exact thing as before.

                "Nah.  I can handle him.  Thanks, though."  She walked away from the table, over to Gohan.  He was looking on the ground, still swaying slightly from left to right.  He looked up when a shadow appeared over him, seeing that it was Videl, with her hands on her hips.  She had a silly smirk on her face, which showed her amusement of the situation.

                "Hi Videl…I am drunk."

                "I can see that silly."

                "You came to talk to me about something?"  Videl laughed it off, already knowing that the two had something to discuss.  She was surprised that he was able to remember something like that so easily.

                "Not now Gohan.  I'm going to take you upstairs so you can relax some.  Now come on."  She extended her hand to him, which he gladly accepted.  She pulled him up and placed herself under his left shoulder.  She threw her arm across his back to steady him, and then they went off to the second floor.  Videl was surprised that Gohan was able to walk most of the stairs steadily.  He fumbled his footing a couple of times, but overall did an impressive job for a first time drunk.  Along the way they picked up Gohan's bag.

                Videl led Gohan to a room on the second floor next to hers.  She opened the door and led him to the bed.  He sat on it and watched as Videl placed his bag on a chair.  She opened it and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

                "I hope you don't mind," she told him.  "I figure you would want to get into something more relaxing.  You must be hot in those clothes right now."

                "Yeah.  I am kind of hot."  He started undoing his vest.  Videl took his shirt and walked around to the other side of the bed.  She hopped on it just as he got rid of the vest.

                "Lift up your arms," she commanded.

                "Why?" he asked, confused.

                "I'm going to change your shirt for you.  Now arms up!"  Gohan raised his arms.  He could have changed his own shirt if he wanted to.  It was too late for that now.  Videl pulled up on the sleeves and stuck his head into his shirt.  She pulled it completely off and was in complete shock.  She saw an incredibly muscular back, completely free of all fat.  It wasn't bulky, but lean.  She got lost in it, and after a while Gohan turned around and waved a hand in her face.

                "Earth to Videl.  Earth to Videl.  You in there?"  She was snapped out of her thoughts only to go back into them when she saw the front of Gohan.  All of it was well developed lean muscle – no bulk whatsoever.  _How the hell did he get like this?_

                "Gohan…"  She couldn't think.

                "Yes…Videl?"  She finally looked up to his face, one of wonder and confusion.

                "How did you…get to be like this?"  He looked down to see what she was talking about.  He blushed madly.

                "Oh…that!  Just…working out and stuff.  It's good to keep in shape, you know."

                "That's true."  She turned and grabbed his shirt.  She got on her knees and walked to the edge of the bed, seeing Gohan was off now.  He stuck his arms forward, and Videl went to work, placing the shirt through them and over his head.  It floated down over his waist, conveniently hiding his tail, which, through that whole sequence, she didn't see.  She turned back around and grabbed his shorts.  "The bathroom is over there," she said, pointing behind the bed to a door.  Gohan walked over to the door, grabbing his shorts along the way, and stumbled slightly into the bathroom.

                Videl was screaming inside her head.  _Holy shit!  He looked incredible!  If it weren't for his drunkenness I would be all over him right now!  Can't let Erasa know…can't let Erasa know…Damn, and I still have to talk to him too.  Shinji said that Gohan wanted to talk to me.  Talk to me about what though?  It had to be about last week.  Damn me and my unwanted desires.  Damn!  Damn!  Damn!  Hopefully he'll sober up in a couple of hours so we can talk.  I stay up here with him and make sure he's all right.  Where's that remote?  We'll just watch TV.  Yes.  TV.  I still have to talk to Shinji though.  Hmm…those guys are bound to be up till two in the morning or something.  What time is it now…nine-forty?  Damn.  I wonder what's taking Gohan so long._

                She rolled off of the bed and walked towards the bathroom.  "Gohan?" she asked, knocking on the door.

                "Yeah, Videl?"

                "What's taking so long?"

                "I had to use the bathroom.  Sorry about that."

                "Don't worry.  You're staying in this room for the night.  Just make sure you don't piss all over the place."  She got no response.  "Gohan?"

                "Um…erm…oh shit."

                "What?"

                "I…um…missed the toilet a couple of times."  Videl sighed.  She didn't want to put up with this all night, but if that were what it came down to, then she would have to give in.

                "Just wipe it up then.  Don't overdo the toilet paper though.  I don't want the damn thing clogged up."

                "Okay!"  She waited a minute.  Finally, the toilet flushed and the sink went on and off.  The door opened a few seconds later with Gohan standing there, calm, as he'll ever be.

                "Hi," he simply said.

                "Hey," Videl responded.

                "You got the TV on.  Got any movies up here?"

                "Let me see…"  She walked over to the cabinet under the TV.  She looked through it and picked out something that would intentionally get Videl next to Gohan.  "How bout this scary thriller?"

                "That looks good.  Pop it in," he said, hopping onto the bed, kicking his feet out in front of him.  Videl joined him on the bed as soon as she put in the tape and pressed 'play'.  The tape was mislabeled, though, and ended up playing one of the many Godzilla films.

                "Damn it," Videl muttered.  She got up to change it but Gohan grabbed her arm.

                "Don't worry.  Just leave it in there."

                "Okay."  He let go of her.  She went over to the watch and hit the light switch, then went back to the bed.

                The movie played for a while.  The pair watched it half intently, as they were amused by a lot of the cheesy effects and the panicking towns folk running around in circles away from the big green lizard.  It was ten thirty when one of them finally spoke.

                "You still drunk?" Videl asked.

                "A little.  I'm feeling a bit better now.  How bout you?"

                "I was barely buzzed.  Nothing too big."

                "That's cool."  A passing silence went by, as they continued to stare at the TV.  Gohan ended that silence.  "Videl…"

                "Yeah, Gohan?"

                "I want to ask you something…about last week."  Videl looked over to Gohan, who continued to look ahead.

                "Gohan…I am really sorry about that.  I didn't know what came over me then and I don't want that to happen to me again anytime soon."

                "Okay.  I got really scared, you know."

                "I know."  She paused for a moment.  "I told Erasa."

                "Really?  I told Shinji."

                "What he say?"  He paused for a few seconds.  He was trying to formulate words into sentences.  His success was limited.

                "Well…I wanted to…he suggested that…um…"

                "Gohan!"  Her patience was wearing thin.

                "Right.  I wanted to say that if we do anything, that we take it slow."  He paused.

                "Go on."

                "I'm perfectly happy with being friends.  I hope that you are too.  My mom sent to school to learn about these things, since I had no experience whatsoever with communication with people my age.  That thing last Saturday, never dreamt of it happening to me."  Gohan tilted his head down.  Videl noticed this and ran her hand to his chin.  She lifted it slightly and met his eyes.

                "Gohan…you intrigue me somehow, you know?  It's strange…this feeling I get from you.  Still…I am happy with being friends with you."  She looked down herself, laughing a bit.  "I got this ideal with myself that I'm perfectly happy being alone, and that I don't need anyone."  She looked back up to him, meeting his eyes yet again.  "We'll take it slow, though, and see where things go.  Besides, I missed talking to you like we once did."  Gohan smiled, completely happy with what he was hearing.

                "You know, we got to stop those silly rumors about us."

                "So you know about them?"  He nodded.  "Don't worry.  I'll handle it.  You just continue being your naïve self and everything will be all right."

                "I'm not naïve!" he said, blushing.

                "Shut up Gohan."  She got up off of the bed and started towards the door.  "You suck at lying, by the way.  Now get some rest.  I'll wake you up in the morning."

                "Night Videl."

                "Night Gohan."  She opened the door and went out.

                "Hey Videl?" Gohan yelled.  Videl turned around, peaking her head through the door.

                "Yeah?"

                "I never got the chance to tell you, but…thank you.  Thank you for being a friend."  She couldn't help but smile.

                "Your welcome.  Night."  She closed the door, leaving Gohan happy and content.  He pulled the covers up over himself and laid back against his pillow, watching the rest of the movie.  Towards the end of it he falls asleep and dreams thoroughly happy dreams.

                It would come soon that those dreams turned into a horrible nightmare.

* * *

                In a blink of an eye, an entire week passed.  Gohan himself couldn't believe how fast time had passed.  Although he and Videl made up back at the party, their own relationship had not progressed.  They talked a great deal more than they had during the previous week, though.  Gohan was completely oblivious to the rumors that were occurring about them, and somehow the close encounter that happened between the pair back at Capsule Corp had spread throughout certain parts of the school.  Videl blamed Erasa's loud mouth for that one.  Still, she manage to go to all of the offending high school clubs about this and gave them a piece of her mind.

                Gohan…remained completely oblivious.

                During the week Gohan and Shinji began their case into finding out about Gendo.  They found out that he was nineteen, which seemed believable enough.  Of course, there had to be something that made the brute so massive.  Other than that, they got nothing.  They constantly scanned for some sort of energy signature, and all that was there was a deep blackness of energy, yet nothing on the surface.  They last thing they noticed was a rather odd object that he had out during certain times, mostly during lunch.  Gohan managed one good look at it and saw it to be a rather strange object.  It was circular in design, with several point spears coming out of what appeared to be the top.  There were five in all, the middle one being the longest.  The inner part was black with a center dial.  That was all Gohan managed to see before Gendo snatched it away.  He stared at the young saiyan for a few moments before grunting and returning to him lunch.

                It was Monday after school during the second full week of October.  Gohan, Videl, Sharpener and Erasa all agreed to go to the ice cream parlor.  Shinji was invited to go, but said that he had other agendas to attend to.  They all waited till most of the student body left before they went outside.  After about fifteen minutes, they exited the school and made their way to Sharpener's truck.  They crossed the lawn into the parking lot, when they were stopped.

                "Gohan!" said a deep, angry voice from behind the group.  All four turned to see Gendo crossing the grass to where they were.  He stopped directly in front of Gohan and looked down at him.

                "Yes?" Gohan asked.  He showed no signs of worry as the huge teenager stood there.  Gendo's lips curled up and flashed his teeth.  He suddenly grabbed Gohan by his vest and pulled him up six inches to meet him eye to eye.

                "You're mine," he simply said.  He let his left hand drop off of the vest and took a step back.  He twisted his hips and launched Gohan into the side of the school, creating a hole nearly ten feet in diameter, and leaving the saiyan teen buried in a pile of rubble.

                "GOHAN!" Videl screamed out.  She looked on, completely shocked.  Sharpener stared on, shocked as well, and Erasa was screaming, clutching Sharpener by his arm and staying behind him.  Videl continued her rage.  "You – you monster!  How could you do that to Gohan?!  How could you?!"  She paused for a moment.  She heard the hideous sound of laughter coming from in front of her.  It was Gendo, and he slowly turned back around, head titled to the side with the most evil grin imaginable.

                "What you going to do about it, little girl?"  Videl had inched back some, along with Sharpener and Erasa, when Gendo turned around.  Erasa stopped her screaming now that she was out of breath.  Sharpener reached into his pocket and took out his truck keys.

                "Erasa…get out of here," he whispered.  "Whatever happens happens.  I want you to go and don't turn around.  Videl and I will try to stop him and save Gohan."

                "But Sharpener!"  Videl butted in.

                "Erasa!  Go, now!"  With that, the blonde teen turned in full sprint towards the truck.  Videl and Sharpener looked her off briefly before turning back to Gendo.  "Sharpener…be careful.  I got a bad feeling with this guy."  She dropped herself into her traditional fighting stance, ready to take on the beast.

                "Right," Sharpener simply said, dropping himself into his own stance.  He was strong on his own right, almost as strong as Videl, but even he couldn't beat the daughter of Hercule.  They had proven that before in several controlled fights.  Now wasn't the time to worry though.

                "You're going down, bastard!" Videl yelled as she charged forward.  She jumped up and forward, the knife-edge of her foot taking the lead, aiming straight for his gut.  She never reached it, as Gendo threw his arm forward and caught her leg, raising her up with her feet up and her head down.

                "Videl!" Sharpener cried out.  He launched into his own attack, but Gendo was prepared, and with his free hand swatted away Sharpener like a buzzing fly.  He landed nearly thirty feet away, barely conscious.

                Back in the school, Gohan managed to shift off some of the wall that landed on him.  He struggled to sit up, but when he did, he saw the horrible situation developing before his eyes.  He tried to pull himself completely out, but couldn't, as his legs were wedged completely underneath the remaining rubble.

                _This is going to take some time…something I don't have._  He began work, and then remembered something.  It would be his time saver.

                "_SHINJI!_"

* * *

                Shinji was flying slowly back to the Kame House.  He reached the outskirts of the city when he felt a drastic surge of energy, followed by a quick drop.  He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the city.  He searched throughout the city, trying to find the energy source.  He suddenly felt a second one, one significantly weaker than the first, rise and then nearly drop out completely.

                _Something's wrong_ he though.  He started back into the city when the phone rang.

                "_SHINJI!_"

                "Ah shit!" he cried out, clutching his head.  "_What?  I hate when you do this!_"

                "_Shinji!  Thank Kami!  Quick, get back to the high school at once!_"

                "_What for?_"

                "_It's Gendo!  He's gone nuts!  Sharpeners unconscious and Videl is in trouble.  I'm stuck in the high school right now!  Get here now!_"

                "_Shit!  All right!  I'm coming, I'm coming!_"  He severed the connection and quickly powered up, creating a white aura over him.  He blasted off in the direction of the school, with shades and baseball cap all ready for action.

* * *

                Videl remained in her current predicament.  She was hanging upside down, being held by the sadistic Gendo with Gohan possibly dead and Sharpener out for the count.  Her loose T-shirt was falling down, and she decided to abandon it overall, letting it slide off her arms and head, leaving her with only her sports bra and shorts.  Gendo pulled her up until her face met with his.  His smile turned into a frown when he brought her up.

                "So beautiful…so young.  Why is it that you attack me when you have no chance of winning?"

                "What?" she asked, half confused.  "What do you mean?  I am the daughter of Hercule, goddamn it!  I can defeat you if I wanted to!  Put me down this instant!" she screamed.  It didn't seem to faze him.  He continued to look on with a perplexed look in his eyes.  He knew how strong this girl was.  She was nothing compared to Gohan, though, and yet, he easily disposed of him.

                "Very well."  He placed his hand holding Videl straight out in front of him.  He cocked back his other hand, clenching his fist tightly.  Videl looked up to where his hand was going.  She didn't have time to prepare herself.  She was ready to throw a kick, but he let go of her leg, letting her drop ever so slightly before sending his fist right in her stomach.  The blow sent her flying, landing almost forty feet away.

                She was still conscious, clutching her stomach while lying curled up on the ground.  "Ack!" she let out.  She couldn't talk because of the pain.  Her wind left her and all that she could spit out was blood.  Videl looked up and saw Gendo move slowly towards her.  She couldn't tell how far away he was.  Her vision became blurred and the sounds around her were becoming lower.  She was close to passing out when she heard a voice cry out from the sky.

                Gendo, obviously, heard it too, and he as he looked up, he stared straight into a massive energy ball flying straight into him.  It impacted his body and sent him flying a short distance.  He skidded to a stop several feet away, smoking from the attack.

                Shinji floated down to where Gendo once stood, surveying his deed.  "Hah!  That'll teach you for the time being."  He looked around and quickly analyzed the situation.  He saw Sharpener, breathing slightly.  He turned to his left and saw Videl, struggling to get up.  He ran over to her.

                "Videl!  Are you all right?" he asked.

                "I've…seen…better days," she managed to say.  She cocked her head around.  "Where's…Gendo?"

                "He's out for now.  I don't think what I did was enough to stop him.  You better stay put for now."  He looked back to Gendo and saw that he was already getting to his knees.  _Damn!  I expected him to stay out sooner.  Gohan had better hurry._

                Keeping Gendo in the corner of his eye, Shinji looked over to the school to see Gohan tossing the last pieces of wall off of himself.  Breathing a sigh of relief, he directed his full attention back to Gendo, who was back on his feet.  He watched him intently as the beast, with his back to Shinji, dusted himself off.  He turned his head slightly, seeing Shinji in his peripheral vision.

                "You know something…that actually hurt," he snorted out.

                "Good.  Cause that's only a taste of what you're getting, shit head!"  He launched into an attack, throwing himself forward.  He threw a punch, only for it to be met by Gendo's waiting hand.  Shinji tried to pull it away, but couldn't.  The grip on his fist was too strong.

                "What's this taste I was expecting?" Gendo asked the struggling teen.  Shinji looked up at the brute through his glasses.  He smirked ever so slightly, catching Gendo's attention and distracting him for a quick second.

                "This!" Shinji yelled, touching his right foot to the ground.  He hopped up off of it and threw his foot under Gendo's chin, sending him back a few steps and releasing his grip on Shinji's hand.  He took the opportunity and hopped back a few feet, bringing his arms to his sides.  He didn't bother to wait for Gendo to recover, as he stepped forward and thrust his hands out.

                "HYPER BALL…HAAA!" he cried out.  Energy quickly flowed through his hands and delivered an energy ball twice the size of his hands straight into Gendo.  He, unfortunately, recovered at that time and met the energy ball full force, impacting his chest and exploding, causing debris and smoke to filter in the air around him.

                Shinji waited there for what felt like an eternity, watching and waiting for the smoke to clear.  He was panting slightly, as he just used his most powerful weapon, one he developed with help from Krillin.  He cautiously took a step backwards and prepped himself for any type of attack that might come his way.  Krillin told him that villains had a knack of not dying from his and several other people's best attacks, and waited themselves until the smoke cleared.

                He wouldn't get that chance.

                As the smoke continued to rise, laughter could be heard emanating from its murky darkness.  Shinji took another step back and deepened his stance a bit more, now feeling a bit scared that his best attack didn't work.  A footstep was heard from the smoke, followed by another one, and soon Gendo was out of it completely, barely a scratch on him.  He lost most of his shirt, but that was the extent of the damage.  He was still laughing as he took another step forward.  Shinji froze from there, unable to move as the giant took another step closer.

                "My turn now," he said.  Shinji's eyes widened in shock, but it was too late.  Gendo's fist already implanted itself into his stomach, and he hunched over, spiting out saliva mixed with a hint of blood.  Gendo retracted his hand and brought his opposite hand back.  He landed a hook right in Shinji's temple, destroying his glasses and sending the teen flying.  He impacted the ground a few feet in front of Videl.

                The girl crawled the few short feet to check on the fallen hero.  She pulled on him till his back was on the ground.  She looked at his face and saw the broken mess.  The right side of his face was completely covered with blood.  The dark glasses he wore were shattered, and a huge piece penetrated his eye.  A welt formed along his temple and several scratches formed along his forehead and cheek.

                "Are you all right?" Videl asked.  Shinji remained still for a moment before acknowledging her.  He looked up at her with his good eye and smiled.

                "No.  I'm completely wasted.  Hold on."  He reached up to his right eye and found the piece lodged in it.  It touched it and flinched.  "Shit.  That isn't good."

                "What you going to do?" she asked him.  She pulled him up to her lap now, giving him some leverage.  He carefully took the piece of lens into his fingers and pulled it out.  He immediately closed his eye, now unable to use it.  Videl finally recognized who the person was.  "Wait a second…Shinji?"

                "Huh?  Oh, yeah it's me.  Where's Gendo?"  She looked up in front of them and saw him standing about thirty feet away.  He was looking at the broken pair of teens on the ground.

                "He's in front of us, doing nothing.  Shinji, what's going on?" she said, panicking slightly.  Shinji looked up with his good eye and surveyed the scene in front of him.  In the distance, he saw Gohan, now as super saiyan, walking slowly across the lawn removing his vest, and then his shirt.

                "Help's arrived," he mumbled.  Suddenly, Gendo raised his right hand up and stuck it in front of him.  A low hum was heard escaping his lips as energy began crackling around him.  It shot from the ground and ran along the length of his legs and up to his arms.  A ball of energy soon formed, and quickly increased in size.

                "Time to die," Gendo said.  The ball he formed was the size of his hand.  With a quick yell, he released it, sending it towards Videl and Shinji.

                Behind him, Gohan was in panic.  He saw the ball being formed and went into a full sprint, quickly crossing the lawn.  The ball was fired before he got there, and he froze.  _No!  I'm too late!  Unless…_  He continued across the lawn running faster than before.  With no time to spare, he placed two of his fingers to his head and tried his last hope.

                "INSTANT TRANSMISSION!" he yelled.  He disappeared, only to reappeared in front of Videl and Shinji.  "Stay down!" he commanded, and turned around.  He quickly stuck his hands out and erected an energy shield just as the ball reached him, exploding on impact and blowing smoke and debris all over the parking lot.

                The time seemed to pass slowly now.  Gendo noticed that, and wondered if anyone survived his attack.  The smoke moved rather slowly, making the wait antagonizing.  He looked to his right and saw the boy hit flicked away earlier.  Sharpener, he recalled.  The boy remained unconscious, with only some movement in his chest.  It didn't matter though if he stayed like that or waked up.  The jock was no match for him.  The girl was no match for him.  The kid with the sunglasses was no match for him.  The last person that showed up…he was waiting for.  He had heard the strange boy yell something inaudible and watched him appear in front of his targets right before the energy ball hit.

                Gendo returned his gaze back to the smoke and waited.  It had begun to thin some, and from the center of it came a low hum.  Someone had survived, but how?  The brute questioned himself over and over, thinking of ways in which someone can survive an attack like that.  He got his answer shortly, as when the smoke thinned out some more, a shadow appeared of a young man, with his back leg extended, his front leg out bent and both hands pushed out in front of him.  The smoke cleared more, and he saw the two individuals he intended that attack for still on the ground, but in the same position that they were in before.  Gendo kept his ground, though.  He waited to see what his eyes wouldn't believe.

                He got his shock once the smoke completely dissipated a few minutes later.  An energy shield was erected, stretching out at least five feet away from the man in each direction.  The two teens behind him were still alive, on a patch of asphalt that wasn't affected.  The same wasn't said for the black top behind them.  At least twenty feet of ground was shredded off about five or six inches deep.  Gendo looked back to the boy holding the energy barrier.  He looked slightly bruised, but seemed physically all right.  He was panting rather heavily, something that made him smile.

                Gohan dropped the barrier and stood straight up.  He wasn't in terribly good shape.  He wasn't prepared for the earlier strike against him, and he only had time to go level one before jumping to the rescue.  He was at half power, and with only that much, couldn't possibly power up to level two.

                He got into a staring match with Gendo, looking him straight in his dark, evil eyes.  The beast carefully licked his lips, tasting the sweetness of his victory thus far.  Gohan backed up some, but not to gather distance from Gendo.  He went to where his friends were, to check on their situation.

                "How are you guys?" he asked.  Videl looked up at him, still trying to catch her breath.

                "I'm fine.  He hit me real good though.  Shinji took it hard though.  His right eye is useless."  Gohan looked down at him and saw the mess that his blonde friend was in.  Blood covered half his face.

                "Hey buddy."

                "Hey G-man.  You get him yet?"

                "Not yet.  I think he's waiting for me."  Videl checked over his shoulder and found Gendo, standing motionless, awaiting Gohan, the Gold Fighter.  He looked up to see Videl, without her shirt, and quickly pushed away any rude thoughts for now.

                "Videl, where is your shirt?" he asked.  Videl looked down and then looked back up, rather pissed off.

                "I lost it fighting him."

                "Darn.  I got nothing to help you with Shinji.  I sense someone on the way though.  You'll be all right then."

                "Good.  Go get him, guy."  Gohan responded with a nod and stood up.  He turned around and resumed his staring match with Gendo.  Determined, he walked forward, covering the ground on his own between himself and the muscled freak.  Along the way, he let is tail unwind, letting it s-curve behind him.  He stopped until he was right in front of him.  He looked up and looked straight into Gendo's eyes.

                "You hurt my friends," he said, anger all over his voice.

                "So what?  I hurt them, and I'll hurt you next."

                "Try it then."

                "With pleasure," Gendo said, and he swung a wild haymaker at Gohan.  He dodged the attack nimbly, and did the same with the next punch.  He did a back flip and sprung forward, landing a knee into the brute's gut.  The forced doubled the large man over, and Gohan flew around and dropped an elbow on his next, slamming Gendo into the ground.  He hopped back, awaiting Gendo's movement.

                The large man was slow to his feet, using only one hand to push himself up.  His other went to his stomach, still grimacing with pain.  He went to his knees before standing erect.  Gohan stood motionless, deep in a perfect fighting stance, ready to strike.  Gendo let out a roar, gathering energy and kicking dust and debris around, before springing into an attack.  He threw a punch aimed for Gohan's head, which he again dodged gracefully.  Gendo turned in midair, however, and landed his foot in the saiyan's temple, knocking him to the ground.

                Gohan landed on his back, but quickly did a kip up, arching his legs over his head and using his hands to push off the ground.  He landed on his feet, and met Gendo's next assault, a massive fury of punches.  The young super saiyan easily dodged most of the attacks, ducking and weaving his head around and using his palms to block.  Gendo ended his punches and attempted a bear hug next.  Gohan used his hands and stopped his, locking up with each other in a classic shoving match, Gendo shoving down while Gohan pushed up.

                The pushing match went for almost a minute, as neither combatant gained any ground.  Both were powering up, trying to gain the advantage.  Gohan, with half his power, couldn't move Gendo, who was at nearly his full power.  The brute, meanwhile, couldn't move the young saiyan himself.  As their power ups continued, energy sparked all around them.  The asphalt beneath their feet gave way, and the immediate area of black top around them began to crack.

                Gohan's gold aura sparked, giving him the slight advantage.  He pushed up on Gendo, and then let go.  He slid back and watch Gendo fall forward, losing his balance.  Gohan slammed a punch into his opponents face, rocking his head back, and followed it with another punch, this time the other way, and sent Gendo to the ground.  Gohan went down and picked up Gendo, and then rammed another punch into his body.  He hopped back and kicked him in the face, knocking the brute down yet again.

                The young saiyan kept his ground this time, waiting Gendo's next move.  The massive man was twitching some, first his fingers, and then throughout the rest of his body.  He got up slowly, checking himself for damage.  He finally stood erect and turned to meet Gohan, standing his ground and catching a much-deserved breath.  Gendo cracked his neck to one side, and then to the other.

                "Nice hit kid.  I felt that one.  It won't be enough to defeat me though."  Gohan let a smirk crawl on his face.

                "I know.  I figure I'd teach you a lesson first before the real hurting began."  Gendo also smirked, but then his expression turned deadly.  Before Gohan knew it, he was sent flying, nailed with a quick, charging shoulder by Gendo, and flew straight into a van.  The brute landed, and then sent an energy ball into the van, effectively blowing it up.

                "NO!" Videl screamed, witnessing the whole thing.  She was scared, seeing as how now the same person killed two of her friends, one real close and the other being her random superhero buddy, in the same day.  She started sobbing, hunching down over Shinji, who looked on with a heavy shock.  He knew Gohan wasn't dead before, but now he couldn't feel anything from the van.  He hung his head in defeat until he felt an energy surge coming from the van.

                Gendo was standing where he was, laughing his head off.  He was completely ecstatic; now killing off the strongest opponent he had faced yet.  Or so he thought.  His laughter ended when he felt a rumble.  The rumble was at first gradual, but it quickly increased in intensity, and he soon realized where it came from.

                The van.

                No sooner than he began to move, the fiery frame of the van exploded, sending metal debris in all directions.  Shinji and Videl were lucky that nothing had hit them.  Gendo was lucky as well, covering his face to prevent any shards of metal into his eyes.  He wasn't quite so lucky when he dropped his guard.  He looked ahead and saw what he couldn't believe.

                Gohan was standing a few feet in front of the smoking pile.  His left shoulder slumped some and blood marks covered various parts of his body.  His knees were bent slightly, struggling to keep him up.  Still, he held his ground.  He tossed his arms out to the sides and clenched his fists.  Gohan arched back and screamed, creating a new golden aura around him.  He reset himself to what he looked like before, and prepared for the next round.

                He didn't need to fight on, though, as a new face arrived, one that Gendo didn't know of until it hit him.

                "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" yelled the new comer.  An energy attack consisting of a straight wave and a spiral wave hit Gendo, knocking him back to the ground.  He groggily got up and saw the new face land in front of him.  A green-faced fellow with a white cape and turban arrived, awaiting the call to battle.  Gendo looked him and saw his original opponent, Gohan, limp slightly behind the green man.

                "What took you?" Gohan asked his former mentor.

                "Be quiet.  Don't concern yourself with that right now.  We still have a fight on our hands."  Gendo wasn't going to have any of it though.  He was still rather strong, but with the golden fighter back in the fight and a new player joining the game, a retreat was the call of the day.

                "You may have won today, gold boy.  But I'll be back.  You won't know when I'll come or when I'll strike.  But when I do, you will _live_ to regret what happens."  He created a white aura around him, and then blasted off into the sky, flying into the horizon, escaping the battle scene.

                Everything was quiet now.  The parking lot was nearly destroyed, and the school sustained damage as well.  Besides the hole that Gohan originally made, numerous cracks lined the walls from the enormous amount of energy given off.  The only sound that was heard was the whistle of the wind, and Gohan's golden aura, which is the only thing keeping him up at this current time.

                "Piccolo.  I need a senzu bean.  You have any?"  Piccolo turned to his former student when he was sure Gendo was finally gone.  He reached to his side and pulled out a bag.

                "It was a good thing I stopped by Korrin's when I did.  I got just enough for all of you."  He flicked a bean to Gohan, which he promptly put down his throat.  A few seconds later, Gohan's wounds were gone.  The bruises on his chest and arms disappeared and his shoulder slump and leg limp were repaired as well.  He dropped his aura, not needing it to sustain or gather any more energy.

                "Good."  He looked over to Shinji and Videl.  Both hadn't moved from their spot.  They had looked up when they saw nothing happening.  "Piccolo, I'm going to need three more beans."

                "Right," he said, pulling out three beans.  He placed them in Gohan's hand.

                "One more thing."

                "What?"

                "Watch what you say for the next few minutes.  The girl over there, Videl, doesn't know it's me.  She just knows me as the 'Gold Fighter' or something.  The guy over there, Sharpener, doesn't know as well, but I'm going to wait to give this to him till after we leave."  

                Piccolo nodded. "I understand."

                "Wait here, I'll be a couple of minutes."  With that, he walked over to Shinji and Videl.  He stopped for a moment and looked around.  Underneath a pile of asphalt, a white fabric stuck out.  He pulled it out, and resumed his walk.  Gohan saw that the shirt was primarily intact, with just a few holes scattered on it.  He stopped in front of Shinji and knelt down.

                "Hey…G-man."

                "Does she know?" Gohan asked.  He looked up at Videl, a bit confused at the question.  Shinji answered though.

                "She's knows…about me."  Gohan sighed.

                "All right Shinji."  He looked up to Videl.  "I'm going to need to talk to you in a moment."  Videl simply nodded.  He looked back down to Shinji and grabbed his hand.  "Here, take this."

                "What is it?"

                "Senzu bean.  Ever hear about it?"

                "Hell's yeah.  Sensei gets them…all the time, back during the early days."  He slowly moved his hand to his mouth and stuck the bean in.  He chewed slowly and swallowed.  A few moments later, the cuts and welts on his faces healed up, and his damaged eye was restored.  He closed his good eye, then opened up both eyes, able to see clearly again.

                Videl looked on in shock.  She couldn't believe that a simple bean could restore a person back to full health.  She looked up at the Gold Fighter and saw that a bean probably restored him too, after what she saw happen to him earlier.  She felt a weight move off of her lap as Shinji was being helped up.  Videl looked up and saw the Gold Fighter kneel down in front of her.

                "How…does that work?" she asked.  

                Gohan laughed. "I don't know the physics of the bean, but I do know that it works to a charm.  How you feeling?"  

                She scanned herself and still felt some pain within her. "I got a monster bruise, and I think a rib is broken."  

                Gohan smiled.  He stuck out his hand. "That's more than enough reason for this.  Take it, and give the other one to Sharpener."

                "Okay."  She popped the bean down, and like the other two before, she felt much better after a few moments.  Gohan extended a hand, which she easily took.  He pulled her up, but noticed the immediate change in her expression.

                "What's wrong?"

                "It's Gohan.  Over there in the rubble…I think he might be dead."  He totally forgot about that.  Gohan cycled through random lies, knowing that it would be the death of him, but needed one anyway.  He couldn't just say that he was here, in front of her, in disguise.  Piccolo noted the duress in Gohan, and stepped up.

                "While coming here I saw a teen walking away from here.  He looked to be a bit on the bad side, but overall was all right.  We'll go look for him after we leave."

                "You mean…he got out?" Videl asked, turning happy.  Gohan looked out in the distance, pretending to scan for, well, himself.

                "He's alive.  I think he stopped for a breather."  That was all Videl could ask for.  She threw herself at Gohan and hugged him tightly.  Gohan was surprised at the girl's reaction.

                "Thank you.  I can go smack him now for walking away from here," she sobbed.  She held him a bit longer, crying slightly on his bare chest, but for the happiness she felt at the moment.  Gohan cleared his throat, causing Videl to step back, blushing slightly.  "Thank you.  For saving my life and Shinji's.  And Gohan's, wherever he is right now."

                "It's no problem.  I don't think Gendo will be back for a while."  He backed up and turned around.  He saw Shinji and Piccolo waiting for him.  "Videl," he said.  She walked up behind him.

                "Yeah?"

                "Don't tell anyone about Shinji.  He doesn't need this now, okay?"  She looked past him to Shinji.

                "Okay.  I'll keep my word."

                "Good.  I'll be around, just incase Gendo decides to return.  Shinji will be there too, just don't expect him to help out all the time.  We all have secret identities, and I know you would guess that he has to keep his."

                "I know.  Do me a favor though."  

                He turned around to face her. "Yeah?"

                "Just make sure that Gohan is all right.  Take him home or something.  I'll be calling him tonight, just to check on him."

                "Sure.  I think my friend here has another bean.  We'll give it to him.  We have to get going now though.  I think it's safe enough now that you'll be able to get home on your own, right?"  She nodded.  "Good.  The police are nearly here now.  Talk to them and give that bean to Sharpener.  He'll need it."  He turned and lifted off into the air.

                "Good bye guys!" Videl said.

                "Bye Videl!"  The three flew off, leaving Videl on the ground.

                They were exiting the city in silence, contemplating the recent battle.  Piccolo was the first to speak up.

                "Gohan…when did he first show up?"

                "About two weeks ago.  He registered as a student, and actually got in.  He was nineteen, so they allowed him in on that.

                "There was something strange about him.  Shinji and I spent all of last week trying to find out how powerful he was.  We got nothing on him though."  Piccolo was puzzled.

                "This guy…could he be an android?" he asked, going on a hunch.

                "I doubt it.  His voice wasn't monotonic.  He sounded like a regular person."

                "Well, you know how android's seventeen and eighteen were."

                "True.  Heck, I don't think he noticed you arriving until you shot at him."

                "Hey guys…I don't think he is an android," Shinji said, jumping in.  They all stopped in midair, looking at Shinji.  "Well, sure.  He couldn't sense energy, and he had no energy level whatsoever.  Gohan, tell Piccolo about that one thing you found that one time."

                "Oh, yeah."  He turned to Piccolo.  He told him about the devise that he saw Gendo with one of the days last week.  Piccolo thought it over for a few moments, deciding on what it might possibly be.

                "He can't be an android.  It might be some kind of external scanner.  That'll explain why he didn't see me coming."  The two teens nodded, and were ready to resume, but Gohan stayed for a second.  "What is it, Gohan?" Piccolo asked.

                "There was something strange that I noticed about him.  It might explain something."  Piccolo and Shinji diverted their full attention to Gohan.

                "What did you see?" Shinji asked.

                "On his forehead, there was a marking.  It was hard to make out, but it was black, and it looked like it was branded on someway.  It wasn't a sticker or anything."

                "You know what," Shinji said.  "It might be the reason why he wore that bandana."

                "Could be.  We have to be on guard though.  He gave me some kind of warning, and I do think he will act on it.  When it'll be…I'm not sure…"

* * *

                "All right Chief.  That's all I know.  See you around."

                Back at the high school, Videl finished giving her report.  The chief wasn't totally satisfied with what she said, but was glad that no one was killed, and the fact that her mystery partner, the Gold Fighter, saved the day yet again.  She went back over to Sharpener, who recovered just as the police arrived with the help of the senzu bean.

                "You still want to get some ice cream?" he asked.

                "Not now.  I need to get home.  I have to see if Gohan is all right."

                "You like the kid, don't you?"  Videl blushed slightly.  She decided to come out with the truth…some of it.

                "I like him.  I never told you what we talked about back at the party."

                "What happened?"

                "We…kind of decided to take it slow.  To become better friends, in a way."

                "Because of what happened at Capsule Corp?"  Videl gave him a strange eye.

                "Because of Capsule Corp…yeah.  I'm worried about him though.  He's a good kid.  He didn't deserve to let what happened happen today.  He's the nicest freaking kid around…and some muscled freak throws him into the school!"

                "Whoa!  Calm down Videl," Sharpener said, placing his hands on her shoulders.  "We'll get him back, don't worry."

                "Sharpener…we were powerless to stop him.  We won't get a next time if we face him again."

                "Videl…don't worry.  Let's just go home now.  I got to find a phone though.  Erasa has my truck, and she really did leave.  I didn't expect her to."

                "Let's go into the school."  They both walked in the general direction of the school.  As they crossed the lawn they saw the hole in the wall that was made by Gohan.

                "How could anyone survive that?" Sharpener asked.  Videl looked at the hole in the same shock as Sharpener.  She diverted her eyes from it, not wanting to see it anymore.  She ended up resting her eyes on what appeared to be two articles of clothing.

                "Sharpener…what was Gohan wearing today?"

                "He was wearing that corny vest he always wears, why?"  Videl stood up and turned around.

                "What reason does he have for leaving this here?" she said, holding up the blue vest, slightly torn.  Sharpener inspected it, but couldn't figure an answer.  He just shrugged his shoulders.  Videl looked at it again, as well as the white shirt.  Something popped in her head.

                "Unless…"

* * *

                No in story author's notes to report.  Unless you are wondering why Gohan isn't that blubbering of a drunk, then I guess I just felt like doing a slight retelling of my first time drunkenness.  If you care to know, I've only seen one person who has gotten drunk forget what happened when they got drunk.  Suffice to say, it was rather embarrassing for the kid what had happened.  In Gohan's case here, he drank, he got drunk, and he sat around and got sober before sleeping.  I'm not sure if that's a good way to not forget, but that's what I do.

                Shinji's main attack is rather simple.  Arm's to side, about hip height, then thrust forward with hands cupped, fingers curled at the sides.  It's kind of like Vegeta's Final Flash, but then again, it isn't.  Shinji isn't strong enough to fire something that powerful.

Response to reviews:

RBDRaptor – You really hate Saiyaman, do you?  Oh well.  Like I said, no Saiyaman this story.  There's going to be a costume next chapter, and I hope that you'll like what it'll be.  And as you just saw, Gendo is not Spovovich, but you saw the thing at the end there, huh?

Disturbed Courtney – Dear, sweet sister of mine.  It's so nice we made that compromise.  At least now I'll get more reviews.  You likewise.

Zero Enna – I'm just going with what I know.  I'm sticking with 3rd class warrior.  Vegeta's personality this story could help explain that.

Immortal7 – There is no relation.

Everyone else – Much thanks.

                Well that was chapter four.  If you want to know, I looked back at the length of this beast, and this chapter stands at close to 13,500 words.  Sure, I could have split it into two chapters, but I promised both, and with this, I hoped on delivered on it.  Of course, I'd hate to bitch, but please review.  Say anything.  Hell, I've gotten one word reviews.  It works for me.  Hell, it works for whoever else gets that reviewer, I think.  So say anything.  Criticize me, tell me something that may be wrong, or just say that this story rocks.  You people are the judge of that, and I'm just here to deliver.  Now, for next time…

                Next chapter: School is closed two weeks for repairs, giving Videl opportune time to learn more about Gohan.  Meanwhile, Gohan questions his own ability to defend others.  In the end, the two of them come to rather startling revelations about themselves…and possibly each other.


	5. I:V Two Weeks

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.  I don't know what to do with it if I did.  Oh, I only own Shinji.

And the number one reason why this is…delayed is…SCHOOL!  And trust me, I have to do good too.

Warning: some mature themes run in this and Videl has a bit of a potty mouth too.  Enjoy.

Oh, and there might be some random spelling errors/grammatical mistakes.  I got too impatient with my beta reader – my own sister – and decided to just get this out on the page.  If I find any, I'll be sure to fix them.  Enjoy.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic from ShaggyDiz

Chapter Five

* * *

                "Hello.  Son residence."

                "Hi…Mrs. Son.  This is Videl."

                "Good day Videl!  How are you today?" asked the chipper Chichi.

                "Um…I was wondering if Gohan was home."  Videl was still worried about Gohan, and what just happened to him only an hour before.  She got home shortly after finding Erasa.  Chichi was sounding a bit happy at the moment.

                "Why yes, he is.  He only got home about twenty minutes ago, looking slightly disheveled.  He told me what happened today and I sent him right to bed to rest up his weary body."

                "Didn't he get any help from the Gold Fighter?"

                "He did.  Still, mother knows best."  Videl laughed a bit.  She wasn't done yet though.

                "I have a question for you."

                "Yes?"

                "I was wondering…what was Gohan wearing when he got home?"  Videl was desperate to know.  She left the scene with what she believed was Gohan's blue vest and white long sleeve shirt.  She was looking at those articles of clothing at this current moment.

                "Um…he had on what he left for school with today.  It was a blue vest and long sleeve shirt.  White, if I remember correctly."

                _Impossible!_ Videl thought.  _How did he get another one?!  It's not like he packed another in his bag.  There's not even enough space to place a spare shirt and vest._

                "Those clothes were torn a lot though.  I couldn't possibly repair them.  I tossed them right out, and told him to get a shower.  Did I mention that he is in bed right now?"

                "Yes, yes you did.  Can you do me a favor and tell Gohan to call me either tonight or tomorrow?  If not, I'm coming over to check on him."

                "Sure dear.  I'll tell him that.  What about school though?"

                "Oh…they're closing it for two weeks for repairs.  They expect it to be completed by the end of next week."

                "Ah, okay.  I'll tell him that as well."

                "Thank you.  You have a good day."

                "You too Videl," she said, hanging up the phone.  She paused a couple of seconds.  "You could have answered the phone yourself," she said. 

                Gohan had appeared behind her well before the phone rang.  He knew, in the back of his head, that Videl, of all people, would be calling on him, to check on him.  "Mom, you know that she would have interrogated me in someway.  I can't believe I made that mistake in the first place."  He had informed her of nearly everything that happened earlier, including the loss of the vest and shirt.  Gohan had Piccolo create new clothing for him, but tattered.  He still wore them at this time.

                "Why don't you just tell her?" Chichi asked her worried son.

                "I don't know what she'll think of me then.  I've worked so hard to get a good friend like her, and if she finds out that I'm the one that was out there today, then I really don't think she would want to be friends with me.  Heck, I think she suspects me as him now!"  Gohan went and sat down at a kitchen chair.  Chichi went and stood behind him.  She started to rub his shoulders, attempting to calm him down.  "Mom…I nearly lost three people today.  I don't know what I'll do if they do die.  I've already lost Dad before –"

                "Gohan!" Chichi said, cutting him off.  She spun him around in his seat, looking straight into his eyes.  They were red around them.  "Gohan…don't say that, ever.  You told me yourself that Goku was happy where he was."  She pulled him into a hug.  Gohan was reluctant at first, but slowly returned the hug.  He could hear his mom sob softly.  "You've saved us before…and you saved others today.  I've always known what has been the best for you…and this is one of those times."

                "Mom?" Gohan asked, slightly confused.

                "Take Goten and go to Bulma's.  You won't have any homework for the next two weeks."

                "What about school?"

                "Videl said it's closed.  Now I want you to get better.  This…Videl sounds like a good person.  She was one of them there today, right?"  Gohan nodded.  "Okay.  Then this is what I want you to do.  You are going to protect Videl, and anyone else that is in need.  But for you to do that, you need to train."

                Gohan couldn't believe his ears.  _Mom is letting me train?!  Holy shit…crap!_  He hugged his mom even tighter than before, picking her off of the ground.  He set her down and looked at her, happiness shown in his face.  "Thank you, Mom."

                "Don't sweat it.  Like I said, I know what's best."  She started to smirk.  "This Videl girl sounds to me like she'll make a great wife," she said, nudging Gohan with her elbow a couple of times.

                "Mom," Gohan said, blushing.  "We're only friends.  Though…I might as well tell you now, before you find out from someone else."

                "What's that?"

                "Well…we kind of promised to take things slow."  That was all Chichi needed to hear.  She started running around, yelling incoherent things and rambling on about, most obvious, grandchildren.  Goten joined the scene shortly after the first scream.

                "What's up with her?" he asked.

                "Oh…something about grandchildren."  He looked back at his mom, who was continuing her jabber.  He looked back down at Goten, confusion written all over his face.  Gohan suddenly got an idea.  "Hey Goten," he said, kneeling down in front of him.

                "Yeah Gohan?"

                "I need your help with something."  Goten beamed a huge smile when he heard this.  "Earlier today, I did one of Dad's techniques out of desperation.  It's called 'Instant Transmission', and I need your help with it."

                "Okay!" the small boy chirped, nodding his head in excitement.

                "Good.  Now, this is what I want you to do.  Remember that trick I taught you about disguising your power level?"  Goten nodded.  "Okay.  I want you to run a hundred feet, in any direction you want, and disguise your power level.  I'm going to try and lock onto it and transport there."

                "Okay!"  Goten sprinted out of the house, off to find a place to hide.  Chichi had finally finished her tirade, and was looking at Gohan.

                "Gohan…where did Goten go to?" she asked.

                "He's hiding," he simply responded.

                "Hiding?  What for?"

                "I did Dad's 'Instant Transmission' earlier.  I'm going to practice it, and Goten is my practice partner.  Hopefully I can master it, so I can be in certain hotspots in seconds."

                "That's great!"

                "Yeah."  He remained silent for a few moments before perking his head up.  "Goten is hiding.  He's gotten good, Mom.  He's nearly undetectable."  He raised his fingers to his head.  "Let's try this.  Instant transmission."  Just like that, he disappeared from his mother's view, and soon reappeared by Goten, about five feet away from him.

                "Wow Gohan!  You did it!"  The little kid was jumping up and down repeatedly, ecstatic about Gohan and his new move.

                "Thanks, squirt.  Though that was the easy one.  If I want to perfect this, then we'll have to do bigger distances."

                "Okay.  So what do you want me to do?"

                "Hmm…fly anywhere within, say, three miles of here, and mask your power."

                "Okay!"  With that, he blasted off, going somewhere off into the vast forest landscape of the Son home.  Gohan leaned up against a tree, relaxing for a couple of minutes, enjoying the surrounding scenery.  He kept a lock on Goten the entire time, though his senses were still rusty after seven years of almost nonexistent use.  With his recent training with Vegeta, however, some of those lost senses came back.  He was still a long way from becoming the fighter he once was against Cell.

                Focusing back on the task at hand, he searched for Goten's energy, and found that he had masked it well.  He still had a bit of it showing, but that was more than enough for Gohan to get a lock on.  "All right.  Let's do this," Gohan thought out loud.  He placed two fingers on his forehead.  "Instant transmission," he spoke out loud.

                He didn't move anywhere.  "Instant transmission!" he shouted.  Still nothing.  "Darn.  I guess it still needs work.  So far, my range is only a hundred or so feet.  This better not take me too long to learn."  He turned back to the house, and stopped after about ten feet.  "Goten…darn."  He blasted off, going in search of his younger brother.

                He met up with him, in midair, about two minutes later.

                "Gohan, what took you?"

                "The technique didn't work.  You were too far away for me to use it.  Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will be able to get some control over it."

                "So what now?"

                "Now, we go home.  I'm hungry, and then I'm going to get some sleep."

                "Food…" Goten said, dragging it out some and drooling from his lower lip.  Gohan chuckled out loud.

                "Race you home squirt!" Gohan shouted, blasted off towards home.  The quick jump knocked Goten out of his food dream, and he was quickly in second place.

                "No fair!" he shouted, blasting off in the same direction as Gohan – to home and dinner.

* * *

                "How in the hell does he have his clothes when they are at the damn high school?!"

                Videl was pissed.  Well, über-pissed would be the better way to describe her at the moment.  She just got off the phone with Mrs. Son, and learned about Gohan coming home, wearing the same blue vest and white shirt that he wore earlier in the day.  Still, she struggled on.

                She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and set to work.  Videl began drawing a rough sketch of Gohan in what he normally wore to school.  She finished the drawing in about five minutes, doing a rather impressive job on something that she did from memory.  Looking it over, she felt that she was missing something.  _Spiky hair…blue vest…baggy clothes…what am I missing?_  She studied it for a while before giving up.  She had no idea what she forgot.

                Videl grabbed another piece of paper.  She set to work on the Gold Fighter next.  Using her Gohan sketch as back up, she drew another impressive drawing.  She then pulled out a third piece of paper, and started listing comparisons.

                "Okay," she thought out loud.  "The Gold Fighter has golden hair…which is really spiky.  Gohan is the same, but his is black, and his spikes are shorter.  Gohan has those strange black eyes.  No pupils, nothing.  I'm not terribly sure of the Gold Fighter's eye color though."  She placed herself in a quick thought, jotting down the remainder of the facial features.  She moved down to the torso.

                "I have seen both Gohan and the Gold Fighter without their shirts on.  Hmm…"  She went and erased the Gold Fighter's shirt, a simple white one, and sketched in chest and stomach features.  "Boy, I made him look hot," she said, blushing to herself.  Videl suddenly remembered something that Gohan said back at the party.

                "What did he say…oh right!  Gohan said he works out to keep in shape.  But there's no way he could look so good just by simply working out.  He must do something more…"  Videl studied the pictures for a while longer.  She was determined to find a connection.

                She stumbled upon it in the weirdest way possible.

                "What is missing?  I know something is missing, but…wait a minute.  The Gold Fighter had something on his lower back."  She went back to the sketch of the Gold Fighter and looked at it.  She drew in a tail, curving to the side of the body, going as high as the head.

                "He has a tail?!  Holy shit!  The Gold Fighter has a fucking tail!" she practically screamed.

                "Videl!  Was that you cursing?" yelled a deep voice from the hallway.

                "No Dad!  One of the maids probably broke something!"

                "Okay dear!"  The stomping of footsteps was heard moving away from Videl's door towards the stairs.  She went back to work on the drawings in front of her.

                "That was close.  Okay…so the Gold Fighter has a tail.  It's brown and fuzzy.  It's brown…and…holy shit!  He has a brown and fuzzy fucking tail."

                "Videl!"

                "Shut up Dad!  I'm working!"

                "Okay dear!"

                "Damn interruptions," she mumbled.  Once again, Videl diverted her attention to the drawings.  Instead of talking though, she started to draw in a 'belt' for Gohan.  One that was fuzzy.  She looked back again at the Gold Fighter sketch and erased its tail.  She redrew it in the same fashion.

                Videl looked on, speechless.

* * *

                "Gohan!  Mom wants you to wake up!" Goten yelled, trying to knock down the door into Gohan's room.  The teenage Saiyan wasn't having any of it.

                "Go away Goten!  I don't have school, so I'm sleeping in!"  He paused for a second.  "What time is it?"

                "Hold on."  There were shuffled footsteps heard moving away from the door, and about a minute later, the footsteps were heard coming back.  "Um…it's eleven thirty!"

                "Darn.  Okay, I'm getting up!"  Gohan got out of bed.  He tossed on a pair of shorts over his boxers and a muscle shirt before making his way to the kitchen.  His mom and Goten were there.  Goten was happily eating lunch.

                "Good morning son."

                "Morning mom.  What's for breakfast?" he asked.

                "I got several stacks of pancakes waiting for you.  Everything is set, so you just have to serve yourself."

                "Okay."  He went over and got his food.  He returned to the table and finished his breakfast in about three minutes.  Gohan got up and started back to his room.

                "What are you doing today Gohan?" Chichi asked.

                "I was thinking Bulma's.  I'm going to ask her to make me a costume."

                "That's nice.  You taking Goten with you?"

                "I was planning on it.  I still got to work on the Instant Transmission technique, and I'll be needing his help."

                "Well what about Vegeta?" she asked, started to wash Gohan's dishes.  Goten was still on lunch.  "Or Trunks?  Either one of them could be helpful."

                "It'll be good for Goten.  Besides, he needs the training, if he wants to keep up with Trunks.  Vegeta said himself that he's training him to beat me someday."

                "Well we can't have that now, can we?" she said, laughing.

                "No Mom.  We can't."

                "Good.  Now go take a shower."  Gohan simply nodded and turned towards the shower.  "Oh Gohan, one more thing."  He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder.

                "Yeah."

                "Videl called.  She's coming over."

                "Darn!  When?"  Chichi put herself in mock thought.

                "Um…two hours I think.  That's the reason I got you up.  She sounded ticked off you know, since you didn't call her yesterday."

                "Darn again.  Well, at least it'll take her the full two hours to get here.  I guess I'll talk to her."

                "You going to wait for her?"

                "Nope.  Just send her to Bulma's, and I'll talk to her there."

                "She won't like that, you know.  Women have a tendency to hate when men lead them around everywhere."

                "Okay, okay."  He put his hand to his chin.  "Tell her that Bulma will pay for her gas cost then."  He rushed off to the bathroom, leaving his mother shocked.

                "Gohan!  Jeez…what has that boy gotten into?"

* * *

                "What do you mean, he's not here?!"  Videl had just arrived at the Son house and was happily greeted by Chichi.

                That lasted all of fifteen seconds.

                "I told you…Gohan went to Bulma's!  I really don't know what's gotten into him."

                "Well, what do you mean?"  Chichi scratched her chin for a moment before responding.

                "Um…he said something about having Bulma paying for your gas."

                "What?!" Videl yelled, tossing her hands in the air.

                _I knew she would do that.  I got to talk with Gohan when he gets back._  "Yeah, I know how you feel.  I give you full permission to smack him upside the head when you see him."  Videl, by then, was already heading back to her jet copter.

                "I'm going to do worse than that to that boy!" she yelled back.  She hopped into her copter and blasted off towards West City.  All the while, evil thoughts entered her angry mind.  _Dismemberment…no.  Maybe I'll quarter him and send a bunch of vultures after him…yeah.  That sounds nice._

* * *

                "Hey Gohan!  I finished with your watch!" Bulma said through the gravity room intercom.  The workout session between Gohan and Vegeta went pretty intense for nearly two hours, both going as normal Saiyans in one hundred times gravity.  The lighter than normal gravity allowed the both of them to push their regular forms more without transforming into Super Saiyans.  Trunks and Goten, who were in the room with them, train as Super Saiyans to negate the effects of the gravity.

                Gohan stopped his spar and went over to the console.  "Thanks Bulma.  I'll be there in a few moments."  He turned back to Vegeta.  "I'll be back on Friday.  I have a couple things to take care off between then."

                "Very well Gohan.  That was a decent spar, by the way.  Pretty soon you'll be back to where you were when you fought Cell.  Then we'll see who will win."  He turned towards the two younger half-Saiyans.  "All right brats.  Time to dance."  Gohan exited the room before the mayhem started.

                He made his way down the hallway before ending up in the kitchen, where Bulma was busy preparing a snack.  "Hey Bulma."

                "Gohan…here.  Put this on."  She tossed him a wristwatch.  He caught it and placed it on his left wrist.  "All you have to do is press the red button and the costume activates.  The blue one turns it off."

                "Red one turns on…blue one turns off," he said to himself.  He looked up at Bulma.  "You follow my idea?"

                "Yes I did.  I made a couple of adjustments, but I'll think you'll like them overall."  Gohan clicked on the red button, watching a wire field form around his body.  The complex three-dimensional network of white lines and sound soon formed into clothing.  Gohan was overwhelmed with the results.

                "Wow Bulma!  You got it right, down to the weighted cape and slip shoes!"  Bulma had created an exact replica of Gohan's costume from the Cell Games.  The gi itself was the same purple color and complimented with a wide black belt.  A brown pair of lightweight shoes covered his feet.  Lastly, the costume was completed with a weighted white cape.  His head was left uncovered.

                "I took the liberty of adding some Saiyan technology to it.  The gi is flexible, completely bullet proof, and has some resistance to energy attacks."  She paused, and watched Gohan nod to the information.  "The cape can be removed if necessary, and if you transform without it, it will automatically reform at the next transformation."  A pause, and a nod.  Before she could begin again, Gohan spoke.

                "The watch is totally exposed, Bulma.  If anyone gets a hold of it, they might break it or accidentally revert my clothes."  Bulma thought silently for a moment.

                "You got a point kid.  Give me the watch and I'll make the necessary adjustments, though gloves don't look good in sleeveless disguises."

                "How about adding a full length body suit underneath the gi?  You can use the Saiyan tech for creating that."

                "That's a good idea Gohan.  I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish though.  I might have to get a slightly bigger watch to hold every detail inside of it."

                "Take all the time you need.  I'm going to have company soon anyway," he said, turning his gave to the front of the house.

                "What is it?" Bulma asked.

                "Videl's on her way.  I'm guessing that she'll be on the front step in about five minutes.  I'm going to take a quick shower to get rid of the stench from fighting."  He went off upstairs, tossing a hand back and disappearing from view.  Bulma was shaking her head, puzzled.

                "Something is up with that boy."

* * *

                "Hi Videl!  So good to see you again."

                "Hi Bulma," Videl said, smile etched on her face.  That smile turned into a frown.  "Where's Gohan?"

                "He's in the shower."  She stepped back to allow Videl in.  "Do you want a snack, or something to drink while you're waiting for him?"

                "So he's in the shower, huh?" Videl questioned to herself, completely oblivious to what Bulma just said.  "Where is this shower at, if you don't mind me asking?"

                _Gohan is going to hate me for doing this._  She absentmindedly pointed upstairs, towards the right.  At the same time, she began rubbing her temples very, very slowly.  "Up there, to the right.  Three doors down, on the left, that's where the main guest room is."  A pause.  "And make sure you keep it down.  My head is throbbing now."

                "I'll be sure to keep quiet, but I'm not really sure how quiet Gohan will be in the next ten minutes."

                "You that pissed?"

                "Oh yeah."  She made her way upstairs, leaving Bulma with a bigger headache at the bottom.

                "Damn teenagers.  They will be the death of me."  She sat down in a chair in the lobby, leaning back in it and using both her hands to rub her temples.  "At least they're not mine."

                After a few minutes of rubbing, her headache started to recede.  _I wonder what Gohan did to make Videl mad.  It'd be bad to get on her bad side…much like Chichi._  She paused her thoughts for a moment, contemplating that last statement.  _I wouldn't be surprised if those two got married._

                Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud, hoarse screech emanating from the second floor.  Bulma's headache returned as she suddenly realized who had screamed.

                "Gohan…" she sighed, and began her search for some aspirin.

* * *

                Gohan stood in the shower, taking the hot, soaking water, washing his body clean of his recent activities.  He was completely aware of his surroundings, up until Videl got to the front door.  After that, he completely immersed himself into the shower.  So immersed, that he didn't hear the bedroom door open, nor the bathroom door.

                He only heard the toilet to his left flush.

                "AH!  AH!  Hot!  Freaking hot!  ARGH!"  Gohan skipped away from the scalding water.  He looked through the shower doors to see the blurry image of a small, petite figure.  He opened the door slightly and peeked his head out, only to see the enormous smirk planted on Videl's face.

                "Videl?" he asked, confused.  Gohan quickly got angry.  "What the hell was that for?"

                The girl was equally angry.  "That's what you get for ignoring me these past three days.  And I'm not even done yet."  She reached over to the sink and turned on the hot water full blast.

                The water turned arctic cold.

                "AHH!  Videl!" he yelled, practically jumping up to the ceiling before falling back into the tub.  Braving the extremely icy water, he stretched out and turned off the shower before Videl could strike again.  Gohan peeked through the door again.  "What do you want?"

                "We need to talk.  Now get dressed."  She turned abruptly and exited the bathroom.  Gohan just stared at the door dumbfounded.

                "I wonder what's wrong with her…"

* * *

                Videl waited patiently in the bedroom, relaxing on the queen-sized bed.  She had her legs crossed at the ankles in front of her and her hands loosely tangled behind her head.  She wore a self-satisfied grin on her face, knowing how easy it was to get Gohan to obey her.  _Child's play,_ she though.

                The bathroom door opened a few minutes later to reveal a fully dressed Gohan.  He went to the foot of the bed and stared at Videl, arms crossed over his chest.  She patted to her left, commanding Gohan to sit next to her.  She scooted over to make room.

                "Gohan…I'm going to tell you a story, and I want you to listen.  Once I'm done, you will understand why I'm so pissed off at you.  Hopefully when I'm done, that will no longer be the case."  Gohan only nodded.

                "Okay."  She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts.  "There's something you should know.  Maybe this will help you understand my reasoning.  Three years ago, my mother was attacked by an ordinary man with a psychological problem.  He beat her and sexually assaulted her.  Repeatedly.  We found out that she was raped and beaten for nearly thirty minutes."  She paused, looking down at her hands on her lap.  A single tear dropped from her eye that was visible to Gohan.  He reached over and covered her hands lightly.

                "Videl, I…"

                "Gohan…I'm not finished."  She paused again, letting another tear streak down her face.  She refused to look up, and Gohan just stared on.  "When I saw her, she was barely conscious.  The doctors hadn't performed any surgery yet.  They just placed in on life support and cleared all the visible wounds.

                "My dad talked to her first.  I remember him saying that he was sorry for everything, and that he still loved her.  I went up to her and started talking to her.  She pulled me in close and cradled my face with her good hand.  I'll never forget what she told me that day."  She paused.  Gohan was visibly shaken, to say the least.  By now, tears were visible in his eyes.

                Thirty seconds had passed and Videl still remained silent.  Gohan did the only thing he could think of at the moment.  He switched his hands, placing his left over Videl's hands and placed his right over her shoulders.  He moved closer to her while drawing her to him at the same time.  Upon impacting his chest, Videl let the floodgates open.  Gohan effectively became a wet sponge to her with this outburst.  He used his left arm to encircle her lover back, keeping her safe in his arms.

                "Videl," he whispered.  "I understand."

                She remained stubborn.  "No…you don't get it."  She pushed off him slightly.  They met with their eyes.

                _They're filled with pain,_ Gohan though, looking at her reddened eyes.

                "Gohan…I don't want to lose you like I lost my mom.  This is why I'm angry.  I'm mad and I'm pissed off that I couldn't do anything to save you or her."  She threw herself back into Gohan's chest, sobbing.

                "Videl," he whispered again.  "I'm sorry.  Nothing will ever happen to me.  I promise."  He lifted up her chin and looked into her eyes.  "I promise," he repeated.

                "Don't promise, Gohan," she said softly.  "Just do it."

                "I will."  He flashed a soothing smile, calming Videl and some of her worries.  "Tell me.  What was the last thing your mom said?"

                Videl looked away for a moment.  She looked back at him, directly in his eyes.  "She told me to make her proud."

                "My dad said the same thing before he died."

                "Really?"

                "Yeah.  And, although I been telling myself that I'm not, I know deep down inside that he is proud of me."

                "Gohan…"

                "Yeah?"

                "That's good to know."

                "It is.  Maybe someday you'll meet him."  Videl giggled.

                "I bet I will.  In the meantime, you can meet my mother.  She's been laying in a coma these last three years unfortunately.  Life is so different without her there to help me."

                "Same here Videl."  He paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to say.  "Promise me that we'll be there…for each other."

                Videl looked up at him, thinking over his last sentence.  "I will, Gohan.  I will."

* * *

                Europe.  A continent of many wonders.  From the rolling hills and flowing rivers, to the Middle Age structures and the energetic nightlife, it is a place where anything – and everything – can happen.  That doesn't matter now.  For at this very moment, a young demi-Saiyan sits upon one of Southern Germany's many mountains.  From there, small specks of light can be seen many miles away.

                The young Saiyan sat in deep thought, contemplating various items.  Of course, he needed a place to get into thought.  A primary reason for this was the costume he was currently donning.  He had stopped by Bulma's in the morning after spending the rest of the day before making modifications to the costume.  She added the bulletproof body suit and white gloves.  She also made a change in the transformation out of the costume.  As the watch initiated the costume, the belt-like cloth tied around his waist had a button, which made the change back into Gohan's normal clothes.  The button was also thumbprint activated, a precaution from accidental changes.  The slip shoes were replaced with white boots, matching the color of the gloves.  The gi pants covered the top part of the boots, down to the ankles.

                Gohan went on this trip not just to test out the costume.  He decided that a vacation was sorely needed.  He told his mom that he wanted to get out and try his new suit.  That was half of the truth.  Gohan decided against telling his mom the real reason.

                He needed to think about a great many things, which brings the time up till now.  The sun was slowly rising over the mountainside, bringing a new day to this part of the world.  The light from the sun was soothing, albeit a little bright.  Gohan paid no heed to it.  He only found the heat, which helped him in his thinking.

                He had been there for less than a minute – his cape flowing softly in the wind, his black hair waving smoothly like the ocean – when a lone black sparrow landed a few feet to Gohan's right.  He looked at the sparrow passively, watching it hop around a few inches, leaving subtle foot indentations in the snow.  The black bird looked around a bit before setting its gaze upon Gohan.  It turned its body towards the teenage Saiyan and hopped forward a couple of inches.  It moved its head around – almost mechanical like – studying the enormous form before it.

                "You come here often?" Gohan asked.  The sparrow bobbed its head around momentarily before chirping.  Gohan's eyes opened widely.  "Wow…I didn't expect you to understand me."  He paused for a second.  The sparrow chirped again.

                _It does not understand me.  I guess it is just looking for pauses in my voice to give an appropriate response._  "Well, at least my thoughts won't fall on deaf ears."  A pause.  No chirp this time.  Gohan looked to the bird, confused and in awe.  _I guess it does understand me.  Rather strange._

                Gohan leaned back into the snow, placing his hands behind his head.  He let out a semi-loud sigh.  The sparrow chirped in response.  Gohan turned his head to look at the bird.  "I guess you've been in this situation before, contemplating life's strange wonders.  These wonders confuse me to a great extent though."  A chirp was the response given.

                "I wonder if you ever given this task…this task of defending people.  Well, in your case, fellow sparrow."  A head bob, but this time, no responding chirp.  "I guess not.  Though you might have, but not even know you have.

                "I guess what I'm trying to say is, why am I forced into this situation?  I never wanted this, but I was forced to accept this.  Well…I was born into this.  I have warrior's blood in me.  At times…at times, it drives my very being.  Its pride…caused me to lose my father."  The sparrow, after an extended pause, chirped several times.

                "Have you lost someone you loved?"  A chirp.  "It happens to the best of us.  You know, I've lost my father twice.  I bet that hasn't happened to you."

                No response this time.  "I guess that was the wrong thing to say."  He sat up and hunched forward slightly.  He wrapped his arms around his knees.  "Ah well.  I wonder what my dad would say to me at a time like this."  As if on coincidence, a stiff, chilly wind blew through for a few seconds.  It was enough to illustrates Gohan's point in his statement.  He sighed.

                "I believe his father would say that he's gone insane talking to a bird," a familiar voice said from behind.  Gohan jumped and turned to face the voice.  His eyes opened wide and his jaw became dislodged, if only for a few seconds.  He recomposed himself, only to let out one simple word:

                "Dad?"

                "Hello, son."  That's all it took to set Gohan off.  He ran forward, arms extended, ecstatic to see his father.  Goku was overjoyed too, his arms out, ready to receive his son.  That was until something clicked in his head.  By then, it was too late.

                Gohan fell right through Goku and into a heap on the other side of the mountain peak.  He untangled himself and looked down at his hands confused.  He looked to his father, who had "oops" written on the expression on his face.

                "I forgot to tell you Gohan.  I'm not really here."

                "What?  But how?"

                "Come sit down."  Gohan slowly moved back up to the peak of the mountain.  The sparrow, which jumped in fear when it saw Gohan move, had settled down, and sat down again next to him.  Both watched as Goku shook his hand violently in the air.

                "I know King Kai!  I was about to get to that…well, excuse _me_ for forgetting."  He looked down at his son.  "Sorry about that."

                "It's all right.  Now, explain this 'I'm not really here' thing."

                "Oh, that."  He assumed a sitting position in midair in front of Gohan.  "Well, with all these years we've been dead, we decided to try new stuff out.  How long have we been dead anyway?"

                "Um…it's been over six years."

                "Seven years, wow.  Well…these past years, King Kai has been developing a new variety of techniques.  This is one of them.  It allows the person currently linked to him – that's me – to transmit a visible 'ghost' to a person such as yourself."

                "That's great, Dad!"

                "Yeah.  Now answer me: why were you talking to a bird?" Goku asked, pointing towards the black bird.

                "I flew here to do some thinking, and this sparrow landed next to me.  I decided to start a conversation, and I swore that it understood me."  To prove his point, the sparrow bobbed his head momentarily before chirping.  "See?"

                "Strange."  They paused for a few seconds, collecting their thoughts.  Goku was the first to speak up.  "So what's the problem, son?"

                "What do you mean?" Gohan asked, trying to hide the fact that his troubles were already in the air.

                "King Kai felt a strange spike on Earth surrounding you a few days ago.  He has followed it since and has just told me about it.  He said he felt a depressing energy flowing through you."

                "I guess you would call it that," he said, somewhat sarcastic and serious.  "Three days ago, a super powered human attacked the high school I go to now.  Several of my friends were nearly killed.  I almost felt like…like I was going to lose you again.

                "Mom's tried to help me, saying that I can go out and train for a while.  That wasn't too much help though.  I tried avoiding the situation altogether, but it…rather, _she_, caught up with me yesterday."

                "_She_?"

                "Her name's Videl.  She was one of the people there Monday.  She's Hercule's daughter, you know."

                "Hercule…as in the World Champ Hercule?"  Gohan nodded.  Goku stifled a laugh.

                "I did the same thing when Videl told me that."

                "Really?"

                "Yeah," Gohan said, nodding.

                "Has she said anything?"

                "She still hasn't confronted me about it," he said laughing.  Goku had to snicker at that.

                "How is she?" he asked, turning serious again.

                "She's cool.  She's a lot like mom."

                "Oh boy."

                "Tell me about it.  She also fights for the Satan City Police Department…oh, that was Orange Star City."  Goku nodded.  "She's a very nice girl though…and we're alike in more ways that I though before."

                "How so?"

                "She…lost someone close in her life.  Her mom…she's in a coma."

                "Oh."

                "Videl told me what I just told you.  She doesn't want to lose me like she lost her mom."

                An uneasy silence fell between the two.  Gohan wasn't planning on speaking after his last statement, and shifted his eyes down to prove so.  Goku, meanwhile, was in though over those last words.  He kept his gaze on his son for a few seconds.  He then closed his eyes.  A few moments later, he opened them, and reached out towards his son.

                The young teen opened his eyes when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.  He looked up to see his father smile, his hand resting on Gohan's shoulder.

                "Remember when I said you made me proud?" Gohan nodded.  "You still do.  Everyday for these past seven years, you have made me proud.

                "I trust in your abilities in the fullest Gohan.  Don't you ever say otherwise, cause I mean it.  I remember telling you that you've saved all of us so many times.  Do it for me son.  Do it for your mom.  But most importantly, do it for the friends that you hold close to you.  They will be the ones who will get you through this life."

                "Thanks…Dad."

                "No problem son."  He paused for a second before making a smile for himself.  "Now tell me…when are you and Videl going to tie the knot?"

                "DAD!" Gohan yelled, standing up and waving his arms about.  Goku laughed a little bit at his son's predicament.

                "You know, your mom told me once that she loved me the first time she set her eyes on me.  Of course, I didn't know that at the time, but…"

                "Dad!  I've only known her for a month and a half!  We're just friends!"

                "Tell me that three or four years from now."

                "What do you mean by that, Dad?"  This caused Goku to turn over.  He got back up and laughed, throwing one of his hands behind his head.

                "I'll give you a hint: it's not food."  Gohan looked at his slightly confused.  He shrugged his shoulders after several moments.  Goku turned his head skyward and closed his eyes.  He reopened them a moment later.

                "Well, I have to get going Gohan.  King Kai is straining his powers a bit much now."  He stood up, and Gohan followed a few seconds later.  "You feeling any better?"

                "Yeah Dad.  Thanks for listening."

                "Hey, that is what dads do…including dead ones."  Goku chuckled out loud while Gohan only snickered.  "King Kai told me to say that.  He's a master of bad jokes you know."

                "I know Dad."

                "Oh, I almost forgot.  Don't tell anyone about this conversation.  I don't want anyone to get his or her hopes up."

                "I won't.  I might tell Shinji though."

                "Who's he?"

                "A friend of mine from school.  He was taught by Master Roshi and Krillin."

                "That's cool.  Well, I'm off.  If you need anything else Gohan, just come back here and we'll talk again."

                "Okay Dad.  See you later!  Have fun in Other World!"

                "Thanks.  Good-bye Gohan!"  And with that, he faded away.  Gohan was a bit saddened by this, now that his father left.  That sadness was soon replaced by happiness and hope, which shown through on his face.  He lifted off and flew towards his home.

                His mom would never guess why he was so happy that day.

                And the sparrow, after all of that, found a worm near that mountain peak.  He hopped to the side of the slope, where he met his female sparrow mate and their three lovely sparrow-lings.

* * *

                It was now Tuesday, five days after Gohan's conversation with Goku.  Nothing has happened in the four days before today that would have warranted the help of the Gold Fighter, much less Videl.  A couple of robberies were quickly stopped by a couple of passing cops, and several homicides occurred, all requiring detective work.

                That wasn't the point for today.  Today was a new phase in Shinji's training.  He didn't know that though.  He was informed by Krillin the day before that Gohan wanted to "hang out".  Of course, Shinji figured that the kid needed it, seeing as the teenage Saiyan spent most of his life behind the watchful eye of his mother.  _I should get Videl_, he thought.  _I really should tell her soon.  She deserves to know where I've been all these years._

                The first thing he noticed wrong that day was where Gohan was.  He knew his energy sensing ability was good, as he knew exactly where Gohan lived.  Yet Gohan wasn't there.  He was at least thirty miles away.  And he wasn't alone, as a smaller power – and almost as strong as himself – was "bouncing" around Gohan.  _Must be Goten.  Boundless amount of energy that kid possesses._  He diverted his course away from the house towards the area where Gohan occupied at the moment.

                The second thing he noticed wrong that day was when he arrived at his destination.  As he landed, he noticed Gohan, sitting in the grass, in some sort of meditation.  He also saw Goten happily jumping and flying around his older brother.  The thing he noticed wrong though was Gohan's current state of dress.  He sat in his blue training gi.  Goten was also dressed for a fight, wearing an orange gi with a long sleeve blue undershirt.

                The third and final thing Shinji noticed wrong that day was the one simple sentence that left Gohan's mouth:

                "Ready to spar?"

                "Spar?" Shinji questioned.  "I thought we were going to hang out in a city or something."

                "Well, I guess Krillin lied to you."

                "That…or you told him not to tell me."

                "Could be…" Gohan grinned.

                "I'll be surprised if you can still ride the nimbus cloud after this."  Gohan chuckled.

                "My mind may be slightly evil, but my heart will always be pure.  Never forget who my dad was."

                "I hear you."  Shinji reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule.  "It's always good to pack a back pocket uniform [1].  You'll never know when it's needed."  He clicked it and tossed it on the ground.  A puff of smoke appeared, and soon dissipated to show a black gi with a red sash and red trim on a hanger.  He picked it up and exited to a bush.  He reemerged a couple of minutes later in his gi.

                Gohan removed a bag from his belt and handed it to Goten.  "I need you to hold the beans, squirt."

                "How come I can't play with him Gohan?"  The Saiyan teen laughed.

                "It's because I'm training him.  There's a difference between that and playing."  He started off towards Shinji.  "Maybe after I dig him out of the ground a couple of times you can play with him."

                "That's comforting to know," Shinji mumbled.

                "It won't be too bad," Gohan replied.  "I have some senzu's here, so all I have to do is not kill you.  Beating you within an inch of your life is as far as I go."

                "Like I said, 'That's comforting to know.'"

                The two faced each other on an empty field about ten feet apart.  Neither was in a fighting stance, but they were situated in a type of ready stance.  Gohan had his eyes closed, clearing his mind for the upcoming spar.  Shinji hadn't learned any type of meditation technique, so he had no way of focusing his mind.  Gohan picked up on this.

                "Remind me after our spar to take you to Piccolo.  He can teach you how to meditate."

                "Why would I need to meditate?"

                "Well, it'll help you focus your power.  I think, at your highest, most raw level, you are slightly stronger than Eighteen, which means I might need to go super to beat you.  That power is unfocused though, so you're only slightly stronger than Krillin."

                "You think that, if I focus my power, that I'll be able to fight someone like Gendo?"

                "That, I do not know.  He was able to keep up with me, although I was only at half of my level one power.  That's no excuse though, especially when there are lives at stake."

                "I understand.  Still, I want to be at the best shape that I can be in for the next one."

                "That's good.  I don't think you'll get that much stronger though.  From what I've learned about humans, their potential power can only go so far.  Still, once you gain complete focus, you should be the strongest human alive."

                "That's good to hear."

                "Good.  You have the first move," Gohan said, dropping himself into a perfect defensive stance.

                "Thanks.  I'll try and make the best of it."  With that, Shinji flung himself forward, arm cocked back, ready to strike.  He knew that getting through Gohan's defenses would be though.  _All I hope to do is chip away and spot a hole or two in there._

                Shinji covered the short distance quickly, and using most of his raw energy, threw his fist forward.  Gohan met it with his own fist, and the result was an electric light show flowing from their arms and fists.  The ground beneath Gohan slowly gave way with the release of energy.  He flipped backward off the punch, neatly dodging Shinji's jab.  The human teen flew forward again and nearly landed a punch in Gohan's face.  The demi-Saiyan was quicker, as he nimbly moved down and away from the near blow.  They both met each other's eyes, easting off a grin, before Gohan rocketed to the sky, shortly followed by Shinji.

                The fight took to the air now, as Shinji quickly caught up with Gohan.  They flew higher up, facing each other.  Shinji made a sudden hat, watching Gohan continue his flight.  _Let's see how he likes this._  He brought his hands to his hips, and then thrust them forward.

                _What is he doing?_ Gohan thought, coming to a stop.  He felt a sudden power increase coming from below, meaning only one thing.

                "HYPER BALL…HA!"  The attack scream sent a massive ball of energy towards Gohan.  The Saiyan braced himself for the blast, crossing his arms and erecting a shield in front of him.  He was so focused on the energy ball that he didn't notice Shinji come up from behind him until it was too late.  He received a double fisted attack for his pain, and, for his pleasure, met the energy ball full force shortly thereafter.  It sent him cascading from the sky into the field below, creating a new crater for scientists to baffle over.

                Goten, watching the whole battle, ran over to his older brother, checking his condition.  "Gohan!  Are you all right?"

                "Goten!"  The young boy looked up, hearing his name being called by Shinji.  "Leave him be.  I just bruised his ego a bit.  He'll be coming back for more shortly," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

                It was then that Gohan started moving.  He pushed up on his hands and settled back on his knees.  He looked in front of him to see Goten, head titled to a side, with a curious frown on his face.

                "Where is he?" Gohan asked.

                "Up there," Goten replied, pointing a finger skyward in Shinji's direction.  Gohan followed the finger up to see Shinji with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

                "He sure is cocky," he said.  The Saiyan teen raised himself to his feet.  "Goten, have a senzu bean ready.  Shinji is going to need it shortly."  He felt Shinji's energy and locked onto it.

                _What's he doing down there?_ Shinji thought.  He kept a careful eye on Gohan, watching him raise his hand to his forehead.  Suddenly, he disappeared.  "Where'd he go?!" Shinji yelled, shocked.  He was frantically looking around, searching for Gohan.

                "Looking for me?" a familiar voice asked from behind.  Shinji was scared to look.  The voice was almost sinister like, which clearly meant one thing, and one thing only, to Shinji.

                _I am royally screwed._

* * *

                Two hours later, the "training" was completed.  Of course, said "training" involved three literal ground diggings and the removal of nearly five hundred feet of a mountain peak.  Said "training" also involved a lecture, from Gohan, on how _not_ to bruise Saiyan's egos.  Of course, if this were Vegeta, Shinji would be dead and revived in the same day – at least twice – despite the Saiyan Prince's recent changes in his attitude.  Subtle, yes, but not enough to prevent death by Big Bang Attack.

                The trio was now in flight towards the Lookout in search of Piccolo for two reasons.  One: to get Shinji some new clothes.  Currently, he was down to the remains of his training pants.  His other clothes were mysteriously vaporized during the course of the day.  The second reason was to begin the other half of his training, an intense meditation course, with Piccolo.  The primary goal would be to help focus Shinji's power to a finite point.  That finite point would be slightly higher than Eighteen's.  The power would be raised slightly after today's "training" with Gohan, as the Saiyan teen noticed that Shinji's body gained power after four near death experiences.  Those power increases were marginal, but they were there.  It was the one thing on Piccolo's mind, and as he, Shinji and Gohan sat in a circle, it became the main topic of discussion.

                "Well, I originally started training in one of Hercules' schools, thinking I can be like him someday.  I asked one of his students one day if we would ever learn how to fly, like you guys did at the Cell Games.  He laughed in my face, saying that it was all cleverly concealed tricks and that Hercule wouldn't teach such 'hypocrisy'.  He ended up with a face plant and a bloody nose.

                "I left the school a few months later after learning about Master Roshi.  I told Gohan this story a little while ago, but I left something out.  When I began my training, Roshi and Krillin discovered that I had a massive amount of potential energy, and as my raw energy grew, my potential power increased further beyond that."

                "Just like Gohan," Piccolo said.

                "How so?"

                "Gohan has a lot of hidden power.  He displayed a good amount of it back against Cell, but since then, it has receded back inside.  He still is the strongest out of all of us, but he also needs to get that power out and focused for it to work."

                "I see.  Can I start this meditation now?"

                "Sure kid.  Don't get to cocky though; I saw what happened today."  Shinji could only gulp and close his eyes.  His new training had begun [2].

* * *

                "All right you robbers!  The bank is completely surrounded, now come out with your hands up!"

                The damage to Orange Star High School was completely repaired by Thursday.  The principal found it right to let the student complete the weekend free of school work in hopes of getting them to cooperate in classes on Monday.

                This applied to everyone except Videl.  She was currently suffering during what she will later dub "National Bank Robbery Day".  This was the third bank she was at today, and she was quickly becoming tired.  She only received help from the police department, as neither Shinji nor the Gold Fighter arrived yet.  That was about to change.

                As she prepared to enter the bank, she heard a police officer yell out something.  Videl turned around to see several officers looking skyward.  She joined them and saw the Gold Fighter descend from the sky.  _Relief at last!  Yes!_

                Videl ran out to him just as he landed.  "Gold Fighter, thank Kami you're here!"

                "No problem Videl.  Tough day?"

                "Very.  We could use a break for a little bit.  It's been real busy today crime wise."

                "I see.  I'll hand this one.  You just keep –"  A quick flash of light stopped Gohan.  From the corner of his eye, he saw a sniper on a building across the street.  It took a quick second to see that he was aiming for…_Videl?!  Damn!  Got no time!_

                Just as he thought that, the sniper fired.  Gohan quickly jumped forward, grabbing Videl and turning her away from the sniper.  The bullet hit his back and harmlessly bounced off.

                "What was that?" Videl yelled.  She watched Gohan's movements, as he reached his arm out and fired an energy ball into a building…rather, a sniper standing on the roof.  It hit him square in the chest and knocked him out cold.  _Oh…my…he saved me…again?_  She looked up in his face, showing now the full anger that he felt.  _He's mad…maybe I should get away from him before he does something._

                That was easier said than done.  Gohan's other arm continued to encircle her with its safety.  _I saved her, that's all that matters.  This is what Dad wants.  I'm making him proud._

                _This is a nice feeling._  Videl thoughts had done a complete turnaround.  She saw the anger slowly filter out of him.  She became at ease now being close to the hero.  _I've felt something like this before.  Maybe it's the new costume.  I like it a lot._

                "I like your costume."  Gohan, in his Super Saiyan form, managed to blush.

                "Um…thanks.  A friend made it."

                "Looks good on you.  Much better than running around bare-chested, though I didn't mind that at all."

                If Gohan could of, he would have blushed more.  He didn't get the chance to, as a couple of gunmen opened fire from inside the bank.  Gohan turned Videl again, protecting her from the streaking bullets.  Several pinged off his back, causing Videl to scream slightly.

                "Don't worry.  The body suit is bullet proof.  How many inside?"

                "Just three," she said.

                "Okay.  I hear two of them.  I feel the third person trying to sneak out onto the roof."  He paused for a second.  "They're both empty.  Hold on."  Keeping his hold on Videl, he moved quickly behind the closest gunmen.  Gohan, with one hand, disarmed the robber and threw him back with a simple exertion of his energy.  He landed in the side of one of the police cruisers.  Gohan turned towards the second gunman, who was fumbling with a new cartridge.  He released his hold of Videl and pointed her to the gunman.

                An evil smirk appeared on her face, and the gunman was out faster than what Gohan could have done sometimes.  _Amazing!_

                "Hey gold boy!" Videl shouted, snapping Gohan from his thoughts.

                "Yes?"

                "Go get the last guy.  We'll celebrate afterwards."

                "Right." He turned towards the bank and looked around.  Gohan felt the third and final robber ascending the stairs to the roof.  He quickly shot up to the roof and landed about ten feet away from the roof door.  Several seconds later, the door slammed open, and the robber stepped out.  He slid to a halt after three steps, when he caught sight of Gohan.

                "Hi," he said.

                "Shit!" the robber cried out.  He went to his sides and, from his belt, pulled out a pair of black pistols.  He unloaded both clips into Gohan, who just stood there, yawning.  Several "clicks" were heard, signaling the end of the firing.

                "You done?" Gohan asked a bewildered robber.  He dropped his guns and bolted to the left, intent on escaping from Gohan.  Before reaching the ledge, however, he was met by Gohan, who looked like he just appeared there out of thin air.  The robber slammed right into him and knocked himself out.  Gohan picked him up and flew back down to the ground, where he dropped off the criminal and met up with Videl.

                "I got worried there for a second after hearing twenty or so gunshots," she said.

                "I told you, the suit is bulletproof.  Besides, it wasn't like he was going to escape or anything," Gohan replied, matter-of-factly.  Videl looked over to the cops, some of which were pulling away, probably to get back on patrol.  She turned back to Gohan and motioned for him to follow.  They went inside the bank, where most of the tellers were making statements or returning the money the robbers nearly stole.  The two walked to a secluded corner of the bank, where Videl started speaking in a lower than normal voice.

                "Thanks for showing up today.  I don't think I mentioned it before in all that commotion."

                "It was no problem Videl.  I'm here to serve and protect, just like you."

                "Good.  I'm glad I can rely on you.  One question: where's Shinji?"

                "Shinji…ah, Shinji is getting some new training.  He's with my teacher as we speak."

                "That's good.  I guess he doesn't want to get beat up like he did at the school nearly two weeks ago."  She paused for a second, collecting her thoughts.  "He needs a hero name, so I don't call him Shinji by accident while on the job."

                "I see.  I'll inform him when I see him next."

                "Good.  Now for you."

                "Me?" he questioned, confused.  "What about me?"  Videl giggled.

                "A name for you, duh.  I mean, you got a spiffy new costume, so you need something else besides that moniker I call you now.  'Gold Fighter' doesn't sound right in distress," she said, that last remark more to herself than to Gohan.

                "Hmm…a superhero name…"

                "Any ideas?" she asked.

                "I believe I do," Gohan replied, nodding.  "How bout…Saiyaman? [3]"

* * *

                "Country boy is late again.  He seriously needs an alarm clock."

                "That isn't nice, Sharpener."

                "What?"

                "Calling him a country boy."

                "Well," the blonde hair boy started, raising his hands in defense, "he does live in the country.  I already told him that I mean well.  He's a cool kid, despite what my football followers say.  Besides," he leaned in close to Erasa, lowering his voice, "rumor has it that he's tamed Videl."

                "Tamed Videl?" she screeched lightly.  "I doubt it…though that smile says otherwise."

                "Yeah, she's never smiled like that before.  Must be my new cologne."

                "Sharpener, sweetie.  It stinks."

                "Erasa!"

                "It's the truth.  I know you're trying to impress the poor girl."

                "To tell you the truth, I'm trying to impress someone else."

                "Really?  Do tell."

                "Can't babe.  It's a secret."

                "Can I have a hint?"

                "…Sure, why not…she's cute…has blonde hair, looks incredibly sexy in a blue tube top…and is honest about my cologne."  Erasa took a few seconds to think that over.  She came to her conclusion by looking at Sharpener, pointing to herself and without speaking, lipped the world "me" in the form of a question.  Sharpener nodded.  Erasa turned beat red and giggle for a second.

                "Um…sorry bout the cologne comment."

                "No big deal.  Just remind me after this class to go to the locker room to take a quick shower.  Tell the teacher I went to the nurse or something."

                "Sure thing…oh, look.  Gohan showed up."

                "Finally.  Not too bad though.  He's getting better with showing up for first period in just under five minutes after the bell rings."

                "Sharpener!"

                "It's the truth babe."  They watched Gohan get reprimanded for being late, then being sent to his seat.  He sat down next to Videl, where Sharpener and Erasa noticed Gohan's shock in the raven-haired girl's mood.

                "Gohan must know something we don't know," Erasa said.

                "Why do you think that?"

                "Because he nearly jumped out of his pants when he saw her.  Something's up."

                "I see."  They looked on for a couple of seconds, trying to pick up on Gohan and Videl's conversation.  They heard nothing but a few mumbled words being passed between them.

                "Anything Erasa?"

                "Nothing Sharpener."

                "Mr. Pencil and Ms. Gummi!  Do you two have anything to say in front of the class?" the teacher asked, highly irritated.

                "Not a thing sir," Sharpener said, answering for both of them.

                "Good.  Now keep quiet!"

                "Yes sir!"  They both picked up their books and looked in it, pretending to read.  They looked at each other for a few seconds, giggled and blushed, then returned to the lecture, this time actually listening.

* * *

                Lunchtime came rather quickly that day for Videl.  She figured it would go slow since she had an objective to do then, but was surprised at how fast the time went.  The opposite was true for Gohan, who failed to eat anything for breakfast.  Time went excruciatingly slow for him, so he was more than excited once lunch came around.  Earlier, he had gotten Videl, Erasa, Sharpener and Shinji – through telepathy – to buy him something extra for lunch today to help him out.  Erasa and Sharpener already knew of Gohan's huge appetite, and were glad to help out.  Gohan split his funds up amongst his friends, telling them each what he wanted.  They got their food and quickly found their seats.  Shinji joined them shortly thereafter.

                The conversation was simple at this lunch, which was about the Gold Fighter, now known as Saiyaman.  Videl told him that it was a great name, and while it really didn't strike fear into criminals' eyes, his calm and cool demeanor and quick action more than made up for it.  Gohan attempted to act interested, which he was, listening to Videl's riveting voice.  Shinji, of course, knew everything as well, but he also was successful in remaining interested.

                Before lunch ended though, Videl looked at Shinji and motioned him to follow her.  They excused themselves from the table and made their way outside, down towards Videl's locker.

                "So…" she started, "found a name yet?"

                "I have some in mind.  I'll let you know soon enough when I finally get one."  He stared at her for a couple of moments, noting her uneasiness.  "That isn't what you wanted to tell me, wasn't it?"  A pause.  Then:

                "No."

                "Well then…what is it?"

                "Promise you won't tell?"

                "I promise," he said, holding his hand up.

                "Okay.  Well, first off, if you haven't noticed, I'm starting to like Gohan a lot more."

                "I know."

                "You know?"

                "It's obvious.  Of course, those three back there are too naïve to notice, including Gohan."

                "I figured as much.  I didn't get to see him much over the past two weeks, but I found out more about him than I could realize.  I'll tell you about it later."  They took another few steps in silence.

                "That's not all, is it?" Shinji asked, breaking the silence.

                "No.  It's Saiyaman."  She took a deep breath before stopping and looking Shinji straight in his eyes.

                "What about him?"

                "I think…I think I'm falling for him."

* * *

[1] Time to let you people in on an inside job between my sister and me.  To those who watch X-Men: Evolution, there are a lot of times where the X-Geeks would be out on the streets, talking to random people, and at the next moment, have their battle uniforms on.  We, in turn, have come up with a theory know as the "Back Pocket Mutation".  This "second mutation" of theirs allowed them to magically pull a uniform out of their back pocket, hence the "Back Pocket Mutation".  This allows them to change on the fly without returning to the mansion or hopping back to the Blackbird parked three miles away.  That is where that joke comes from.  Anyone who has noticed that on the show will probably think about it for a few moments before shrugging it off, then laugh a bit before going to their tape collections to watch the first two seasons to find these instances of "Back Pocket Mutation".

[2] Power levels.  Power levels.  Power levels.  I wonder how I'm going to do this.  Actually, I have figured out some levels, and using those that I found from a web page I found.  If you want to know how powerful these guys are, just ask or e-mail me, and I'll let you know.  If enough people ask, I'll just post them next chapter.

[3] So I lied when I said no Saiyaman.  I can hear everyone groaning now.  Don't worry though.  This isn't your normal Saiyaman.  First off, I'm just keeping it as Saiyaman.  He won't be the Great Saiyaman at all, or Saiyadork for that matter.  It'll work; trust me.  You'll like this Saiyaman…I hope.

Responses to reviews:

Lady of Ice: Thank you.  I don't know why I'm not getting as much reviews as I thought, since I originally came in with the intent of Huge Chapters = Many More Reviews.  Oh well.  I do like the reviews I am getting though.  More would be welcomed though.

DemonDancing: Thanks for the reviews…all four of them.  You brought up an interesting point with Shinji (don't worry, I know what you meant, I'm not that crazy in the head to think of that), and I came up with a topic for the next chapter.  I looked back through the chapters, and I don't think I mentioned his features that much.  I know I said he was a year younger than Gohan and four inches shorter than him.  I think I said spiky blonde hair somewhere (he's not Saiyan, don't worry), but I'll get to more of it soon enough.

RDBRaptor: I must see this "Consuming Madness" story that you have mentioned.  Is it a fan fiction or a real novel?  Oh, and I am going that path, if I'm thinking what you're thinking what I'm thinking about the story.  Don't worry though; things get real interesting the next two chapters.

To everyone else: Thank you for your reviews.

I'm going to say one thing before I wrap this up.  When you review, leave your name.  I don't care if its initials or the Gettysburg Address, just leave something.  I won't say anything to anyone who doesn't leave his or her name.  For that reason, the person who left the review saying 'hey let gohan help heal videls mother with a senzu bean', won't get a proper response from me.  If anyone else would like to ask that question, then leave your name, and I _might_ get to you on that one.

Bah, and you really think I was going to give a critical future plot point away.  On to important things…

Next Chapter: In the first part of a two-part adventure, Shinji decides that it's finally time to tell Videl the question she's been dying to ask.  And just when the identity of Saiyaman is about to get revealed, a pair of villains shows up, and things go from bad to worse for Shinji and Videl.  It's history and mayhem next time!


	6. I:VI The Rise and Fall of Shinji

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.  Enjoy.

Today's word is: Beast.  As in, "This is one **_beast_** of a chapter."  Sigh.  And this is only the first part of a two-part story arc.  All I can say is enjoy it, and then review.

Usual stuff is at the bottom.

And for some reason, half of my italics won't show up when I upload.  So whenever you see a chunk of the story between '…', it signifies a flashback scene.  Opening my thought italics will still show up.  The original version, if you care, is up on my web page, link located on my profile page.

Now go read.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fan fic by ShaggyDiz

Chapter Six

* * *

                A couple of days went by as Shinji avoided Gohan.  The Saiyan teen was nonstop in his pestering of Shinji that he finally gave in and leads them to a high rise in downtown Satan City.  The pestering was for a good reason though.  Shinji had learned about some rather important details involving Videl and Gohan on Monday, and had vowed to keep them to himself.  _Damn that Saiyan.  Doesn't he know that "No means no"…_

…

                "Falling for him?" Shinji asked, confused.

                "Do I have to spell it out for you, Shinji?" Videl yelled, getting a few curious stares from some people passing by.  She gave them a mean glare, and they stalked off.

                "Well this is interesting.  Videl has fallen for two men."

                "Shut up."  She gave him her own glare, which did nothing to keep the smirk off of his face.  "Just to let you know, I haven't fallen for Gohan completely."

                "I know.  It'll take a mallet to the head to tell him that."

                "I think I'm just trying too hard, or just going after the wrong person."  Shinji's smirk fell off after that.

                "I don't think so.  You two are made for each other.  Gohan does like you.  Heck, he's told me a lot of stuff about this budding relationship.  He's probably being a little too slow in finding those feelings."  Videl sighed.

                "I guess you're right."  She started walking down the hall again, Shinji following along side her.  "I need to ask you something."

                "Go ahead."

                "You…look familiar, like someone I know from my past."  She stopped when she heard a chuckle from next to her.  "What?"

                "It's just…what took you so long to figure that one out?"

                "I needed to make sure.  Can you come over in a couple of days?  I really want to know what you've been up to, and where I do know you from."

                "Sure, I can do that.  What about Gohan though?  He might take it the wrong way."  Videl laughed at the comment.

                "Him?  Don't worry about it.  Besides, I have a hunch about him."

                "A hunch?"

                "I'll tell you about it later, when we meet…" 

…

                _I guess I'll tell Gohan now_, Shinji thought to himself as the two teens got settled.  _And she really thinks that I wouldn't go and tell him?  Okay…so I said I did.  It lasted two days though.  Is two days enough time to make her think otherwise?  Sigh…I guess not.  Sorry Videl._

                "So what is it do you want to know?" Shinji asked.

                "I don't want to have to go through this again.  Just tell me what I've been asking you since Monday after school," Gohan said, agitated.

                "Fine, fine.  Just…when I tell you this, you have to remain as calm as possible, cause this is big."

                "Big?"

                "Big, as in, incredibly huge and grotesquely enormous."

                "Ah, okay."  He paused for a moment.  "Well, what is it?  Tell me!"  Shinji sighed.

                _He's acting like a seven year old.  Not cool._  "Okay.  It's about Videl."

                "And?"

                "She…she's in love with Saiyaman."  A few seconds passed, which felt like an eternity to both of them.  Gohan, because of the way the words hit him, and Shinji, who was anticipating a response from him.  As those few seconds finally elapsed, Gohan leaned forward slightly before leaning back and, reaching his arm out as far as it could go, wound up and slapped himself on his forehead, slamming into the roof behind him.  The next word summed up everything.

                "What?!"  Shinji knew that he would yell that out.  He didn't expect that whole display of self-inflicting pain though.  He turned to look at Gohan and sighed, seeing the demi-Saiyan sprawled out on the roof, starring into the sky.

                "Videl is in love with Saiyaman.  I don't feel the need to repeat myself."

                "I know that…but…"

                "But what?"  Gohan pulled himself back up onto the ledge.

                "I'm Saiyaman!" he shouted, waving his hands wildly into the air.

                "Well…duh!"

                "Shinji, you're not helping!"

                "I know.  This is a funny predicament by the way."

                "It's not!" Gohan shouted, backhanding Shinji onto the roof.  He lay there for a few seconds before rubbing his head, feeling a massive headache brewing within his temples.

                "Ouch…" he mumbled.  Shinji slowly got up and walked back over to the ledge, rubbing his temples lightly.  He sat down and looked at Gohan, who looked like a man out for blood.  "Hey, I'm just the messenger.  Don't kill me."

                "I'm not."  His face relaxed a bit, and was quickly replaced by panic.  "Shinji, I don't know what to do now.  She's in love with my alter ego…how is that possible?"

                "I really don't know.  She didn't go too in depth about it, but I suspect that with the amount of times you've saved her as Saiyaman, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

                "Any ideas on how to have her _not_ like Saiyaman?"  Shinji thought it over for a moment.

                "Um…besides just disappearing altogether, I really don't know.  You could not save her every time she needs it…maybe just help her out when she really needs helping out."  He leaned in closer to whisper.  "Or…you could just tell her you're Saiyaman."

                "That's the last thing I can do," Gohan said softly.  "It would tear apart everything that I've…that we've worked so hard to build."  Shinji had a look of shock on his face.

                "Don't tell me that – "

                "Don't…don't tell anyone, okay?"

                "I won't."  A silence fell over them, which lasted for a few minutes.  It didn't feel like an eternity like the last silence over them did.  It was literally a few minutes.  It was uncomfortable for them though.  Gohan had pretty much said something he never thought he could say – not the exact words at least – but enough for Shinji to know what it meant.  The younger teen, on the other hand, was screaming complete surprise in his mind.  _I never knew this…Gohan has fallen for her.  This is unbelievable._  Shinji brought them out of the silence.

                "Why don't you tell her?"  Gohan hesitated for a moment, thinking about his response.

                "I'm scared."

                "Scared?"

                "I'm scared of what she might think…about what she'll say."

                "About what?"

                "About me…being me."  Shinji let a smile set on his face.

                "Dude, Gohan…you want to know the truth?"

                "Sure…it wouldn't hurt to know now," Gohan said, half interested.

                "Fine.  You're the most normal kid I know."

                "Normal?" he asked, half shocked.  "Shinji…I'm not normal.  I'm far from being normal."

                "Well…at least you look normal."  Gohan sent a glare over to Shinji, who promptly laughed it off.  "Gohan…you know what I mean.  I'm giving you the honest truth.  You are the most normal kid I know.  Period."

                "Explain it to me then."

                "Explain it?"

                "Explain it."

                "ARGH!" Shinji yelled, tossing his hands up and floated off of the ledge.  He turned back to Gohan, and could only smirk at the grin on Gohan's face.  "Gohan…you're a good kid.  You'll be great with Videl.  Just don't be scared."

                "I'll try not to.  This is strange though…the first time this has happened to me."

                "Gohan, there's a first time for everything.  You know that as well as I."

                "True."

                "Just do it like you're doing it now.  Don't be too slow, like you are now.  Jeez, even I could do this faster."

                "Shinji."

                "Yeah?"

                "Have you ever falling in love?"  This caught Shinji off guard.  He looked at Gohan and saw that he was serious in his question.  _He's bared his soul.  I might as well do mine._

                "Once."

                "Once?"

                "Back…when I trained with Videl."

                "Were you – "

                "No, not Videl.  I'm not stealing your girl, and I'm not planning to anyway."

                "Who then?" Gohan asked, curious.

                "There was this girl – Maya was her name – that also trained under Videl.  I forget whether I was eleven or twelve, I really can't remember.  I had Videl introduce her to me, since I was somewhat timid at the time.  We kind of hit it off – for twelve year olds that is.  We talked and talked and talked and…you get the idea.  I almost felt like we were totally meant for each other.  Of course, this is when I was twelve – not sure how many times I've said this now – but it's strange…a twelve year old in love.  And I would have stayed at the place too, training under Hercule.  I just didn't want to be held back anymore.  I left…I left, without saying goodbye to her.  I wrote a letter and left it in Videl's care."

                "What did it say; if you don't mind me asking?"

                "Oh boy…this was years ago.  Um, I just told her I was sorry for leaving like this.  I told her my views about Hercule, and that I wanted to go farther than I have before.  Now that I think about it, I should have asked her to come with me.  I did the wrong thing with leaving her just a letter.  Kami, I am such a fool."

                "Shinji…I don't know what to say."

                "Speechless, huh?  Happens to the best of them."

                "I'm sorry I asked."

                "Dude, Gohan…it was probably the best thing to ask me, especially now.  Just don't do the same thing I did all those years ago.  I'd hate to see another person's heart get broken, even if I didn't see that person fall apart."  Silence fell, and like before, it was uncomfortable.  Shinji resumed his spot on the ledge, unable to keep himself afloat after his story.  He gazed downward at the busy city streets, perfectly showing the confusion of the moment between the two teens.  Gohan looked up into the sky, seeing how it was the exact opposite of what Shinji was seeing below.

                _Peace.  All I see is peace.  Down there is mayhem._  "Shinji."

                "Yeah?"

                "Look up in the sky."

                "Why?"

                "It's easier on the eyes.  All it is up here is silence and peace.  It's nice."  With that, Shinji looked up.  Soon, he fell back on the roof to prevent further strain on his neck.

                _Much better_, he thought.  _I should do this more often.  It is better on the eyes, like Gohan said – except for that damn Sun – but it works.  I feel a bit better on the inside now._  Next to him, Gohan laid back on the roof, joining Shinji.

                "Back when my Dad was still alive, we would do this.  We would lie back in the grass and stare at the sky for hours.  We saw many different things in the clouds.  Like that one to the left…it kind of looks like Piccolo, or me, without the turban."

                "You see yourself in the clouds?"

                "Sure…I think."  He paused for a second.  "I think I'll keep it as Piccolo for now.  Look at that one in front of us."

                "What does that one look like?"

                "Looks…like Goku…or Goten.  I can't figure it out.  They both look incredibly alike."

                "I would like to see your dad someday.  It would be great to meet him."

                "Remind me the next time I go out west; I'll take you with me."

                "Okay.  Hey, look at that one.  It looks like Videl."

                "Really?  Wow.  It does."

                The cloud spotting went like this for another ten minutes.  The teens spotted many different things in the clouds, mostly faces of people they knew.  They saw Krillin with a cheesy smirk on his face, and Hercule, who looked to be constipated or just yelling at his agent, both of which looked alike.  There was one they couldn't make out though.  The face looked of a young woman, between sixteen and eighteen years old.  The hair was short and slightly messy, but the face was that of a beauty.  The identity of this person baffled both of them, for they never saw this type of beauty before.  Well, Gohan had Videl's beauty, but this was a different one, and for a moment, it looked as if _Shinji_ was in love with her.

                Soon, Shinji stood up and stretched a bit.  He floated into the air and looked down at Gohan.  "I have to get going now.  I promised Videl that I talk to her for a bit about stuff."

                "Like what?"

                "My past.  She has the right to know where I've been these past few years."

                "Okay.  I'm going to make a sweep of the city before going home.  I'll see you at school tomorrow."

                "Bye Gohan!" Shinji said, and then blasted off, heading towards the mansion that housed Videl.

* * *

                Videl sat impatiently in her room, waiting for Shinji to arrive.  Looking at her clock, she saw he was at least ten minutes late now.  _What is taking him so long?  There's no need to be this late._  She went to her mini-fridge and took out a bottle of water, opening it and taking a sip.  She soon heard a tapping on her balcony door.  Videl walked over and opened the door, finding Shinji with a sheepish grin and a hand behind his head.

                "You know…you could pass for Gohan doing that," she said.

                "Well, he hasn't come by your balcony door yet.  I surprised that he hasn't."

                "Do you expect him to?" Videl asked, curious.

                "He might…if he ever finds his guts," he said, serious with every word.

                "I see."  She quickly changed the subject, wanting to get off of the current one involving the man who would soon be in her dreams.  "So what took you?  I was waiting for your ass for close to fifteen minutes now."

                "I was making rounds with Saiyaman.  I still have a duty to perform."

                "I know.  Still, you should have been done a while ago."

                "I'm sorry."  He walked past her towards an empty chair.  Picking it up, he moves it to the bed and sits in it.  Upon seeing the mini-fridge, he makes his way over to it and pulls out a bottle of water for himself and quickly returns to his chair.

                "Your welcome," Videl says, making her way over to the bed.

                "Oh…thank you," Shinji responds as an afterthought.  They both sat in silence, sipping their water occasionally.  Shinji wasn't thinking at all; he knew what he had to say to Videl.  The girl, meanwhile, was wondering why Shinji was taking his time.

                _He must be thinking real hard about what to say._  She looked up at him, studying his facial features.  He had a plain look on his face, and it was hard to tell whether or not he was gathering his emotions for the discussion.  "Well…"

                "Well what?" he asked.

                "Are you still thinking?"

                "Nope.  Not since third period today in school was I required to think."

                "Damn it, Shinji!  Stop wasting time!"

                "Okay, okay."  He moved forward in his seat, getting a slightly more comfortable position.  "Where do you want me to start?"

                "Start from where I first met you.  I want to at least know where you came from."

                "Very well.  Let's see…"

**…**

                Nine-year-old Shinji made his way through the thick of Orange Star City.  He was on one simple mission: look for the man who defeated Cell.  It had been two months since that battle, which he saw many things on the TV.  It's been one month since his parents died in a horrific car accident while on their way back from work.  He refused to live with his uncle many miles away, but because of this, he set his mind in motion.  He received a portion of the money from his house and was able to move around a bit for the last three weeks.

                Shinji learned of Hercule Satan defeating Cell, though at first doubted its accountability.  He remembered seeing the fighter getting smacked into a mountain a mile away, then come back later, saying how everything those other fighters – including Cell – were pulling were simply amateur stunts and tricks.  Of course, Shinji didn't believe that statement in its entirety, especially when Hercule stated that he just gave him a "chop".  Still, he knew that Satan karate was the only way to go since he had no idea of who those mystery fighters were – except for one.  His name was unknown to him though, since the ignorance of the camera crew there provided with a stupid moniker.

                His thoughts lingered on those fighters, however, as he continued his journey through the city.  Shinji knew that those weren't tricks.  There was a way to do them; he knew that.  How to do them was the biggest problem.  He would have to ask Satan when he got there…wherever the place was.  This was his only chance though.  It would be a long shot chance too.  He was barely four feet tall, something that wouldn't go well against some of the other students there.  Hell, he didn't even know that if there was a junior class.  There probably was though, since he had heard of a younger Satan winning the junior division of the tournament.  Videl, that was the name.

                He went back on his thoughts of this being his one chance.  Shinji packed everything on his back.  A few changes of clothes and a personal journal were his only possessions.  His cash was dwindling now, as he made a foolish decision to stay in a somewhat expensive hotel for a couple days while waiting for a way to get to Orange Star City.  He let his brown hair grow out some in the last couple months as well, not bothering for a haircut.  Instead of the short spikes he preferred, his hair had grown out some longer, thicker spikes.  If only his hair were black, he might have been confused for a younger version of a certain young Saiyan.

                Not that he knew at the time, of course.

                After walking for close to forty-five minutes, Shinji finally came across what he was looking for.  A dojo, namely "Satan School of Karate", was the building he was currently in front of.  He didn't understand why it was hard to miss.  A rather embarrassing billboard of Hercule's head currently graced the building.  He probably doesn't think it's embarrassing.  It is his head.  I sure don't like it.  Off to the sides, he saw building projects attached to the school.  He quickly assumed that it was extensions to the school, seeing as how Satan was becoming a household name.  The money coming into the school – and Satan himself – was more than enough a reason to enlarge his personal school.

                And that was the primary reason for coming here to Orange Star City.  Shinji knew Hercule had schools elsewhere in the surrounding regions.  There is nothing better than to just get personal instruction in a class from Hercule himself.  He entered the school and looked across the lobby into the class currently happening.  He didn't see Hercule teaching the class, but rather a young girl, who looked to be ten years old.  She must be Videl.  Wow, she's teaching a class all by herself, with students older than her!  His excitement grew, seeing a growing karate expert teaching a class.  He stood there for a couple of minutes before someone came up to him, bringing him back to reality.

                "Hey kid.  What do you want?" the student, about fifteen or sixteen, obnoxiously asked.

                "Who me?  I came to learn some karate."

                "You look a little young, you know."  Shinji, wise – and cocky – for his age, came back with his own comment.

                "How old were you when you started?"

                "Twelve."

                "And how about her?  The one that is teaching that class right now?"

                "She started when she was seven I think.  She's special though.  She's Hercule's daughter."

                "So?  That means that anyone can start learning karate, especially at a young age."  That got the bigger kid.  He looked around, a bit worried, before turning back to Shinji.

                "Sit here.  I'll get someone to talk to you about joining."  He walked away, leaving Shinji by himself in the lobby.  He spent his time waiting looking at the current class, watching the young girl, Videl, continue to teach the class.  Looking around, he saw that none of the students could even keep up with the level that she was training in.

                Simply marvelous, he thought.  I wonder if I'll get to the level she is at now.  Well wait…anything is possible.  His thoughts continue unabated, and he continues to stare, completely unaware of a person standing over him.  He remains there for a few moments before making his presence known to Shinji.  Clearing his throat, he expects Shinji to look up.  He doesn't.  He continues to watch the class.  The man brings his hand down to Shinji's ear and snaps his fingers.  The young boy snaps back in shock.

                "Ah!  What was that for?" he angrily questions the man.

                "You were in a daze there kid.  I was only trying to get you out of it."

                "By what, making me deaf?"

                "Well…I did clear my throat."  Shinji blushes slightly, realizing that he was really out of it.

                "Sorry."

                "Don't sweat it kid.  I'm Rob, by the way."

                "I'm Shinji."

                "Shinji, huh?  Well, you came here for a reason, so I'm here to talk you through the process of joining Hercule's dojo.  Come this way."  Rob backs up, allowing Shinji to stand.  He leads him to a side room with stacks of paper of varying height and numerous trophies, all of them belonging to Hercule.

                "Is Hercule this good?" he asks out of curiosity.

                "Yeah.  Most of these he won in regional fights.  Those two over to the left were for winning the Japanese Tournament, something he's won the last two years.  He has his World Martial Arts Championship Belt at home.  His daughter says that he has it in an iron cast briefcase locked away inside a padlocked steel box, which in itself is locked in a titanium safe."

                "That protective?"  Rob laughed.

                "Oh yeah.  He is a little too protective.  Like he is with his daughter.  Don't tell anyone this…but Hercule and her mom; they were getting in fights all the time.  A couple months ago, Videl said that her mom left.  She wanted to go with her, but Hercule had all the money.  He had all the glory.  The courts, obviously, ruled in his favor.  She's been sort of an empty shell since then.  She still sees her mom, since her parents are just separated, and not divorced.  Most of the time though, Hercule isn't here.  Even then he refuses Videl to see her mother."

                "You know, I'm starting to not really like Hercule."

                "I really don't either.  But then, when you're the World Champ, his word is law.  Only a few of us really know his private life."

                "Why did you tell me?" Shinji asked, looking confused.

                "I heard what you said out there.  You've got some potential to be great, especially for a kid your age.  How old are you by the way?"

                "Nine."

                "Hmm…you are a bit young.  But I do know of kids beginning their training as young as five or six sometimes.  You are a bit on the short side too."

                "I know.  But then –"

                "Videl started at seven, and already she's really good.  You'll be okay starting now though.  I have a question for you."

                "Okay."

                "Why are you here by yourself in such a big city?"  Shinji thought it over for a few moments before deciding to tell Rob about his life during the past month.  He listened intently, not making any comments, but nodding his head when appropriate.  After Shinji finished, silence filled the room for a few seconds.  Rob then stood up and looked out of the office window, watching the class for a quick second.

                "What's the matter?"

                "Nothing.  Just looking out to the class to see when it'll finish up."  He sat back down and leaned back in the chair.  "I hate to say this, but the biggest problem that you have is not being able to pay for this.  I'm going to be generous though, since you are alone.  The class out there is going to finish up in about ten minutes, so I suspect you can wait, right?"  Shinji nodded.  "Okay.  I got the next class to teach, but I'm going to have Videl talk to you."

                "Videl?"

                "Yeah.  I know this for a fact that she has done this once or twice before, but she does a bit of volunteer work over at a local youth hostel.  If she can, she'll be able to get you in there with her 'father's good will', which can work wonders for many people.  The thing you have to promise me – and her – is that you must train your hardest while you're here.  Be it six months or six years, you put your heart out on the practice mat.  That's the way Hercule did it, and that's what his only daughter is doing out there now."

                "I will, sir."

                "Please, call me Rob."

                "Okay, Rob."

                "Good.  I'm pretty informal myself, so no need to say 'mister' or 'sir'.  Now wait here, I'm going to go out and get Videl."  He got up and left, leaving Shinji in the office.  Getting curious, he started looking around the room a bit, taking a peek at some stacks of paper and reading some of its contents.  Some of it came across as a bit too hard for him to read, so he quickly left them alone and walked over to the trophies.  He was reading some of the bronze lettering on the medals and trophies that he wasn't aware – for the second time that day – of someone standing over him.  That person cleared their throat, which immediately caught Shinji's attention.

                The throat was obviously female, and that told Shinji right away who was behind them.

                "I see you like them," she said.  Shinji turned around to see the owner of the voice.  It was none other than Videl.

                "Hi," he said.

                "You must be Shinji.  Rob told me to come talk to you.  He said something about you not having anywhere to go to."

                "That's right."

                "Okay.  Come on then.  I'm done my classes for the day, so I'll take you to a place I know."  She left the office with Shinji in tow.  Saying her goodbyes, they leave the school and begin their walk in the city.  "So tell me…why are you here?" she asks, starting their conversation.

                "I came to learn the ways of the world champ.  That's pretty much it."

                "I see.  It will be tough."

                "I figured as much.  Tell me something.  What did Rob mean by your 'father's good will'?"

                "Ah, that.  It's something I made up behind his back.  With all that money he's getting, Dad wouldn't know where half of it went.  I figure, if I take some of that money and give it to, say, a hospital, and then his name would get in the paper saying that my father is a very generous man.  Of course, he just passes it up as something or another.  It makes me feel good when I help people and places out."

                "Isn't that stealing though?"

                "You can say that."

                "Is that what you're going to do with me?" he asks.

                "Yeah.  Why are you here by yourself anyway?  The city is a dangerous place for a youngster like you to be walking all alone."

                "Look who's talking."

                "Don't forget who I am.  Videl – the Junior Division Champion of the world!" she yells ecstatically, stopping and spreading her legs apart slightly while raising her hand into the air and giving the V-symbol for 'victory'.

                "Why not just say the world champ's daughter?" he asks her, confused in her display.  She quickly turns angry.

                "I'm trying to make a name for myself, thank you very much!"

                "Sorry!"  He holds his hands up in defense, trying to diffuse the situation.  Videl's anger quickly subsides though.

                "I'm sorry…it's just tough though.  My life has changed in past two months so much that I really don't know who I am anymore.  It really sucks."

                "Videl, how old are you?"

                "Ten.  Why?"

                "You're pretty wise for your age.  That's what my parents said to me a couple months…before they died."  He says the final part somberly, hating the knowledge that his parents had died the way they did.  Videl did the only thing she could think of.  She placed her hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a small frown.

                "I'm sorry," she said.

                "It's all right.  I was told – no matter how hard it may be – to never dwell on the past."

                "I understand.  Now come on.  I'm going to take you to a youth hostel not far from here.  You'll like it.  Some of the kids there are really cool, and they're just like you.  Oh!  You have to meet Mrs. Kimo.  She's one of the best ladies in town.  She makes some mean Wanton soup too!  You have to try it!"

                "Okay, okay.  Just lead the way, Videl."  And they were off, walking down the main street for three blocks and making a left onto East Street.  From there, the youth hostel came into view, and two lives would take a new course…

**…**

                "You know…I think that was the first time in a long time that I was really happy."

                "Really?"

                "Yeah.  I guess meeting new people with the same problems can open up many possibilities.  At least I now know where we've met before."

                "Yeah…you know; that little pose you did was really ridiculous."

                "It was.  Don't blame me though.  I was ten!  And I was trying to make a name for myself!" Videl cried out, throwing her hands in the air.

                "I know.  I won't blame you."

                "Good."

                "That was still funny though…" Shinji said chuckling.

                "Shinji!"

                "All right!  I'll stop now."

                "You better.  And when did you dye your hair?"

                "A few years ago.  But let's get back to the story.  I'm surprised you don't remember, especially when I left a few years after that."

                "Yeah…I guess the trauma of my mother being attacked must of made me forget a few things.  I really don't know.  You will tell me about that, right?"

                "Yeah.  But first, I'm going to tell you something else.  It's a part of the story that takes place a couples months before our first meeting…"

**…**

                General Tao fired at Mr. Lou, old martial artist, down on the ground in front of him, intent on killing him, and the unsuspecting children behind him.  What he was expecting after the explosion was three bodies strewn against the ground, ready to prove a point to the town's people behind him.

                What he didn't expect was a young golden haired boy, one of the three he was targeting, to be standing in front of the old man – unscathed no less – and looking ready to kill.  Tao stepped back and kept a steady eye on the boy, though now scared out of his wits.  He watched as the boy took a step forward, and then another one.  For a moment, Tao thought he could recognize the boy.

                "Is that…Goku?"  The boy stopped moving forward, staring the mercenary straight in his eyes.

                "No.  I'm his son," was the reply from the boy.

                The son of Goku?  This isn't good, the general thought.  Behind him, the local landlord insurer was yelling something inaudible to Tao.  He looked at him, then back at the boy.  To hell with this.  He stood up, relaxing out of his stance and walked over to a tree.

                "What are you doing?" the landlord yelled.

                "That kid there…his father defeated me many years before.  If he's able to do that, then I'm not going to risk my neck for you."  With that, he kicked a tree, cracking it perfectly close to the roots and caught it.  He launched it into the air, and he quickly hopped on board, leaving a rather pissed off landlord with an even more pissed of kid.

                The young boy turned towards the landlord and took several steps forward.  "This dome won't protect you," he said, and raising an arm up, fired an energy blast into the dome, reducing it to rubble.  "If I can do this, imagine what Cell can do."  He turned back to the old man and the little girl, giving his farewells.  The two gave him their thanks, and wished him luck in the upcoming battle.  He flew up into the sky and met up with a man, who had the same type of hair as the boy.  They quickly vanished, leaving the people on the ground to their own lives.

                Within that said group of people was a middle aged man and his only child, a young boy.  The child, about nine, looked up to his father.  "Dad."

                "Yeah?"

                "Can we go talk to Lime?"

                "Sure Shinji.  Let's go."  The two walked over to where Lime and her grandfather stood. 

 The two were keeping their eyes in the sky for a few moments longer before averting their gazes to the ground.  They started walking back to the village, only to see Shinji and his father moving towards them.

                "Hey Shinji!"

                "Hi Lime!  Hello sir."  Mr. Lou laughed.

                "Hello Shinji.  How are you today?"

                "I'm good.  You were amazing today, standing up to that mean bad guy back there."  The old man laughed again.

                "Thank you.  The real credit goes to that young boy though.  Without him, we would have been killed."  The words drops Lime's head slightly, and she draws in towards her grandfather.

                "Who was that kid anyway?" Shinji's father asked.  Lime looked up, preparing to answer his question.

                "His name his Gohan," she said.

                "He said he is going to be at the Cell Games.  Godspeed to him," Mr. Lou followed up with.  All four of them turned towards the village, making final preparations for the Cell Games…

**…**

                "So the Gold Fighter was at the Cell Games, huh?" asked Videl.

                "Pretty much.  You realize I can't tell you who he his, by the way."

                "You know who he is?"

                "Yeah.  I've known since that day…well, not exactly that day.  Just, a certain telling of events later in my life which explained most of the story."  He paused for a moment, making sure his wording was right.  Satisfied, he nodded his head.

                "I see.  If I remember correctly though, there were two of them there.  That'll complicate my search some."

                "You're still trying to find out who it is?" he asked.

                "Yeah."

                "I shouldn't be telling you this…but I might as well."  He leaned back in the chair, placing his hands on his lap.

                "What it is?"

                "One of them is dead."  Those simple words put Videl's mind into motion.

                One of them is dead?  That might be the one thing I need to convince me that –

                "If you're ready, I'll continue with the next part of my story," Shinji said, breaking Videl from her thoughts.

                "Oh…right.  Um…tell me something.  Why did you leave?  Now that I'm remembering this more now, there had to be a valid reason for you leaving.  I don't think you ever told me."

                "If I remember correctly, I think I only told you that I was in search of more training."

                "Why would you need more training though?  You had plenty where you were at the school in the city."

                "Because I went on a hunch," he said.  Videl looked at him confused.

                "A hunch?"

                "I had a feeling that it wasn't your father that beat Cell."

                "But…my father did beat…Cell…" The last word was said as a mere whispered compared to the near out roar of the middle words.  She slumped her shoulders, now realizing what Shinji just said.  "My father…he didn't beat Cell, did he?"

                "That question isn't for me to answer," he said with a straight face.  "You know who to ask…or rather, the person who hides behind that one."  Videl looked up at him, ready to speak one word.  She was cut off, when he leaned forward in his chair.

                "Now…let's continue.  I'll tell you about the time after I left, since you now know why I left…"

**…**

                "Stupid boat…taking too damn long to get there.  I wonder how other people who trained under this guy felt like when they were traveling to see him."

                By now, twelve-year-old Shinji had just about had it with his wooden boat.  He had expected the water currents and the wind to get him there in a few days.

                Bad luck would be by his side throughout most of this trip.  A storm had torn through his sail, leaving it a wholly mess.  One of his oars got lost afterwards, and he was left to resort with just one for the remainder of the trip.

                This was the sixth day of the trip too.

                As the sun reached its high point in the day, he spotted a small island out in the distance.  He pulled out his binoculars from below the seat compartment and looked out with them at the island.  Through them, he spotted a house, and an old man standing in front of it.  To the left was a short man with short, black hair, and a blonde woman, taller than the man, whole looked to be in the middle to late stages of child bearing.

                The old man must be Master Roshi.  I wonder who the other two are.  At least I know I'm getting close.  Enlightened by this discovery, he took out his oar and proceeded to row towards the island.  He noticed that, as he was getting closer, that Roshi and the others had noticed a boat coming and were at the shoreline, waiting for it to reach the sand line.  A few minutes later, Shinji arrived at the island.  He hopped off of the boat and walked towards the three awaiting him.

                "Hello there, little guy.  What's your name?" Roshi asked.

                "I'm Shinji.  And I presume that you're Master Roshi?"

                "That's right.  I'm Master Roshi; the Turtle Hermit!"  Next to him, the short man was shaking his head in disgrace.

                "Does he do that every time someone shows up here?" he asked the woman next to him.

                "Don't look at me.  Hell, he did that every time I came back with you after our dates.  I was ready to kill him the night before you proposed to me."  Shinji listened to the short discussion.  He noted the woman's voice, wondering why it sounded so monotonic at times.  He diverted his attention back to Roshi.

                "So…Shinji, why have you come to my island?" he asked.

                "I've come to learn your ways of the martial arts."

                "Really now?  You should know that I don't always take students who show up on my island.  Just ask Krillin over there."  Shinji looked over to Krillin, who simply nodded.

                "What do I need to do to become your student then?" he asked.  Roshi got a sly grin on his face.  Krillin immediately recognized this and proceeded to slap his head with his hand.

                "Well, I haven't had a date in years…unless you count Eighteen banging my head repeatedly when she showed up with Krillin all those times the last two years."  He stepped up closer to Shinji.  "I need a nice woman with smooth skin who wouldn't mind taking a walk with me around my island.  Can you do that?"  Shinji stepped back and looked around.  He saw the island itself was no more than forty feet in diameter.  He looked back to Roshi, who still had the same sly grin planted on his face.  Finally, he came up with a response.

                "Who'd want to walk around your island with you?"

                Immediately, Krillin fell to the sand, laughing his head off.  Eighteen simply smirked, letting Shinji know that was a nice low blow to Roshi's ego.  Roshi, of course, was fuming by the ears.  Shinji could only smirk himself, his young cockiness showing forth.  Roshi calmed down enough to continue talking.

                "I see.  You and Krillin would get along nicely.  He didn't say that exact thing to me…but you have that cockiness that he has.  Especially since he was about your age when he started training under me.  At least he brought me something when he showed up on my island."

                "And what was that?"  Roshi sly grin showed again.

                "Porno magazines!" he said ecstatically.

                "Por-porno!  I'm twelve-years-old for crying out loud!  I can't even buy a porno magazine, and you expect me to bring that to you?!"

                "Sorry kid.  No magazine, then no training."  With that, Roshi turned and walked back to the house.  Krillin cut him off.

                "Hey, Roshi.  There's no need to turn him down because of that!  He's only twelve.  At least give him a chance."

                "No can do Krillin.  I did the same with all the people I've ever trained, and I'm not willing to change for one little kid.  You can train him if you want."  He moved around Krillin and walked into his house.

                "But…Eighteen is pregnant.  I have to help her out!"  His cry fell on deaf ears.  He turned back to Shinji, who remained where he was, unmoving.  Eighteen walked up to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder.

                "Go train him.  I'll be fine until I give birth."

                "You sure?"

                "Yeah.  I'm still about two months away anyway, so you can do something with him until then."  She smiled down at him.  It was a slight smile, one of Eighteen's trademarks, but it was enough to get Krillin moving.  He walked toward Shinji and stopped in front of him.  Before he opened his mouth, he got a plan.  It was so full proof that even Eighteen wouldn't know about it.  He leaned down some – which, for Krillin wasn't much of a distance – and whispered in his ear.

                "I know something that can help you get training under Roshi."  Shinji looked up at him questioningly.

                "You heard him.  He won't train me because I don't have any of that stupid stuff."

                "I know.  But I do.  Neither Roshi nor Eighteen knows of this secret stack of mine, so it's full proof."  He stood back up to his full height and placed a hand on Shinji's back.  "Now come on in.  I'm sure you must be really tired from your journey."  The three of them walked into the house.

Krillin took Shinji to the back of the house, to where his and his wife's room was.  Closing the door, he pulled open the closet.  He knelt down and pulled away the carpet.  Beneath it was a small door embedded within the floor.  Standing up, he reached for a key located within arms reach above him.  Taking it, he put the key in the matching keyhole, and a ring popped out just above the keyhole.  He pulled on it and the door opened.  He reached inside and pulled out a bag.

                "What do you have there, Krillin?"

                "The ticket to your training with Roshi."  He handed the bag to Shinji.  Opening it, he looked inside and saw a small pile of magazines.

                More specifically, they were girlie magazines.

                "Krillin!" he shouted, dropping the bag.  Krillin jumped up in the air, waving his arms around erratically.

                "Be quiet, or we'll get caught!"  Immediately, Shinji shut his mouth.  "Good.  Now listen…Eighteen is due in a couple months and I want to make her as comfortable as possible.  And I know Roshi will end up trying to do something sneaky to my wife."

                "And that's why you want me to give him these to him?"

                "Exactly.  One thing you should know."

                "What's that?"

                "Roshi is not an easy teacher.  He won't exactly teach you martial arts.  Instead, he'll make you a much powerful and faster warrior than you ever were.  You've had martial arts training, correct?"

                "Yeah.  I've trained under Mr. Satan himself."

                "Oh really?" Krillin said, snickering.  "That old goof himself taught you?  That's too funny."

                "That was the big reason why I left.  That old goof was too full of himself that he couldn't teach a proper class even once a week."  He bent down and picked up the bag.  "I want to ask you something though."

                "Go ahead."

                "Can you fly?"

                "Fly?" Krillin asked.  "Why do you ask that?"

                "Because I want to.  And I realize now that you're one of the people from the Cell Games three years ago."  Krillin reared back in shock.

                Wow.  He is quite an observant kid.  Though now he'll have to know some things that we normally don't say to people.  "You have a good eye, Shinji.  Yes, I was at the Cell Games, and yes," he paused briefly, taking the moment to cross his arms and float in the air, "I can fly."

                This, of course, left Shinji in awe.  "So…you can fly?"  That was all he said.  Krillin laughed at his wonderment.

                "Yes Shinji.  I can fly.  Oh, and before anyone else says otherwise – at least all those Satan heads – I am many, many times stronger than that knucklehead."

                "I figured as much."

                "Hell, Master Roshi can beat him up too."

                "Master Roshi?"

                "Yeah.  He can't fly or anything, but his techniques are far better than anything else that will be taught to you.  Now wait here…I'm going to get Roshi real quick and have you give him the magazines, okay?"

                "Okay."  Krillin left the room.  Shinji took the time to take a quick scan of the room.  Both Krillin and Eighteen slept in there, and he could only wonder why they both stayed in a little house like this.  He said himself that he was a student of Roshi's, so it probably explained why he remained here.  Shinji could only think that he had no source of income, and with the isolated location of the island, that no one would come and beg him for money.  Yet he would soon be having a child.  So many questions that Shinji's young mind couldn't answer.  Not now at least.

                Krillin returned with Roshi, who was complaining about trying to help Eighteen with dinner.  He looked over to Shinji.  "What now kid?  Can't you see I was busy?"  Shinji stepped up to him and extended the bag out to him.

                "These are for you, Master Roshi."  The old man quirked up an eyebrow, wondering if it was a trick.  Still, he saw the layout of the bag, which only brought hope to his perverted mind.  He took it and opened it up.  Immediately his eyes glazed over, and he let out a loud, happy chuckle.  He took out the first magazine and proceeded to flip through it.  Several nosebleeds broke out, and red covered the majority of his face.  Grabbing a tissue, he composed himself.

                "Well, I don't know how you came up with these so fast, but…you are now an honorary member of Roshi's School of Training."  Krillin fell over before leaning in close to Roshi.

                "Did you just make that up?"

                "Yup.  Sound good?"

                "No.  I'm leaving now."  With that, Krillin left the room.  Roshi and Shinji followed shortly thereafter, heading outside.  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a capsule.  He tossed it and the capsule exploded into a small motorboat.

                "All right Shinji, we're going to begin your training.  It will be much more difficult than any other training that you've ever had.  You sure you can handle it?"

                "I believe I can."

                "Good.  We're going to a bigger island to train, and we'll be staying there for a while…I think about a year.  By the end of that year, you should be much stronger than what you started with.  Did Krillin tell you anything about what the training consists?"

                "He only said that it didn't involve real martial arts training."

                "Okay.  By the way…did Krillin give these to you?  Cause I would have sworn that I've seen this girl here before…"

                "No Master Roshi.  I was only tricking you earlier.  I only needed Krillin to check them out for me."  Roshi studied Shinji's face for a moment, attempting to find any sort of deception.  The young boy only smirked, but it was a cleverly disguised one.

                "Very well.  Now let's go."  Roshi started the motorboat, and they set off.  Unbeknownst to both of them, Krillin and Eighteen were looking at the departing ship.  Krillin sighed and sat on the couch, next to his wife.

                "Well…I guess it's strange how Roshi just decided to train Shinji after all.  He'll be a nice addition here when he isn't out training.  I should have talked to him a bit more before letting him go with Roshi."  Eighteen gave a slight nod, barely acknowledging the statement.  Krillin noticed this though.  "What's on your mind honey?"

                "Did you have to do that?"  Krillin looked at her, clueless.

                "Do what?" he asked, curious.

                "Give him your secret pile of porno magazines?"  Krillin, for the second time that day, reared back in shock.

                "Wh-what?!  How did you know about that?!"

                "I did a little snooping around the house once while you were sleeping.  The carpet in the closet was disturbed, so I checked it out," she said, completely aware what she was doing to Krillin, making him turn whiter and whiter.

                "My…oh…honey?  I'm…"

                "Some of those women do look pretty though."  That statement brought Krillin back to reality.

                "What?"

                "You heard me.  Of course…I know you find me the prettiest, do you not?" she said, again fully aware of the reaction she was getting from Krillin.

                "Oh Kami…Eighteen.  You are the most beautiful woman I know."

                "Good…and once this baby comes out, I'll be glad to make love to you again, and again."

                "Why not now?" he asked stupidly.  She smacked him lightly, and then pointed down to the reason why.  Krillin smacked himself for his own stupidity.  "At least we got the house to ourselves now.  No Roshi to pester you.  Happy?"

                "I'll be happy when we finally get out of this place, Krillin!"

                "Sorry!  Sorry!  I'll find a place.  Maybe somewhere close to your brother, would that be nice?"

                "Yes, that would be."  The conversation ended there, as Eighteen leaned into Krillin, and they both fell asleep on the couch…

**…**

                "And you know what?  We all still live on that island."  Videl let out a hearty laugh at that.

                "That's too funny.  So this person, he told you what his wife said?"

                "Only some of it.  I knew he was hiding something back when I got done my first round of training.  I asked him about it and he said, 'No!  Hiding nothing!'  I would like to meet her brother though.  Pretty mellow like her, from what I've heard."

                "That's cool."

                "Yeah.  So…"

                "Yeah."

                "How's Maya?" Shinji asked, completely out of the blue.

                "Maya?"

                "You know.  Well, I think you should know.  You introduced me to her.  I was a nervous wreck, now that I remember."  Videl sat back against the headboard of her bed, thinking about whom this Maya was.  Realization hit her in the face in the form of a smile, and the remembrance of a cute name that Shinji had for her occasionally.

                "You mean, Chibi May?" [1] Shinji nodded.  "Holy shit!  How could I not forget about her?  She was so cute and so nice all those years ago.  I think she still is too."

                "She still lives around here?"

                "Well…she moved to the next town over, a couple miles away.  She got some pretty good foster parents a year or so ago.  You want her address?"

                "I…can't.  I'm sorry.  Not with the way I left the place."

                "You mean…oh, hold on."  Videl got up and went to her closet.  She pulled out a step stool and used it to reach the highest shelf in there.  From it, she pulled out a shoebox and peaked inside it.  Satisfied, she stepped down and went to the bed.  She opened the box and began shuffling through its contents.

                "What's in there?" Shinji asked.

                "I remember that letter that you gave me to give to Maya.  Nice move, by the way."

                "I did what I had to do," he simply said.

                "Right.  I can't believe what you did either.  She was crying for nearly a whole day because of that.  And that was before I gave her the letter."

                "What happened afterwards?"  That's when Videl produced an envelope.  She handed it to Shinji.  He looked it over briefly, seeing that it only had the name "Shinji" written on the cover.

                "That was the surprising thing.  She stopped crying.  She read the letter, and then read it again, just to make sure it said what it said."

                "And then what?" Shinji asked, now really anxious.

                "Well, she folded it and tucked it in her pocket and thanked me for giving this to her.  Three days later, she came back with that.  She simply said it was for your eyes, and your eyes only."  Shinji looked down at the letter again.  He flipped it over and tore it open from the top.  From inside, he pulled out a single piece of paper, neatly folded.  He opened it up and saw that there was writing on just one side of it.  He proceeded to read it.

Dear Shinji,

                Sigh…why did I write that?

                I guess it's because I don't know where to begin.  But, I'll keep it brief.

                Videl told me a few days ago that you left, without saying goodbye.  It saddened me deeply, and I cried on her shoulder for nearly a day.  The people at the youth hostel found it strange for a twelve-year-old girl to be crying over her first love.  I don't though.  I don't know why either.  But after I read your note, I felt happy.  I don't why I felt happy though.  I realize that I should be mad at you for leaving without saying goodbye.

                But I'm not.  What I believe, is that you are going out into the world and getting to be the best you can be.  And I'm glad you are.  I'm not mad that you're doing it for yourself.  I'm going to tell you something.  I believed the words you told me before, a couple weeks before you left.  You know what I'm talking about.

                So do it.  Do whatever you plan on doing.  And I'll be waiting.  I don't care how long you take, or even if you don't love me anymore.  Hopefully, we can be orphans for life, you and me.  That would be a fun prospect.  But then, we'd have to get a job or something.  And I promised I'd keep this brief too.

                Don't be a stranger Shinji, wherever you are.  And I promise to keep a part of you in my heart, no matter what happens.

With great love,

Chibi May

P.S., I entrusted Videl with this, just incase you see her first.  She promised not to read it.

                Videl watched his face intently, trying to figure out what the note said.  She noted how he was sad at first, with his mouth in a frown and his eyebrows titled towards the sides of the face.  Eventually, she saw something that she thought she wouldn't see after seeing this.

                He smiled.  It wasn't a real noticeable smile, but all that was needed was a small upward tug at the end of the lips.  And that's what she saw.  She didn't understand why he was smiling too.  She was thinking about berating him for that brief show of emotion, but let it slide.  It wasn't her business.  It was Shinji's.  She was only the outside third party person.  But as she watched some more, Shinji brought the paper down away from where he was reading it.  His head dropped slightly and stared into his lap.  But that wasn't all she saw him do.

                A single tear from his left eye slid down his cheek.  Videl, from her vantage point, believed that Shinji didn't know, or didn't care about the tear.  And as the tear reached his lips, she saw the small smile that remained on his face from before.  She clearly didn't understand.  He was sad, and yet…happy.

                "She doesn't deserve me," he said, barely above a whisper.  Videl barely caught what he said.

                "What do you mean?"

                "Not me.  Not after what I did.  And yet, she's seems so calm about it.  She deserves someone better than me."  He spoke all of his words like before.  A second tear fell, this time from his right eye.  That's when he noticed that he was crying.  He let out a small laugh.

                "What's so funny?" Videl asked, not accusingly, just simply out of curiosity.

                "I haven't cried in years.  Not since…not since my parents died."  That's when he finally looked up, and Videl saw his face.  His eyes were slightly blood shot, but other than that, there was no evidence of him ever crying.  But she then saw past his eyes.  She saw the emptiness, and the hope that was in them.

                "Do you want her number?"

                "Not now.  I just need time."  He refolded the note and stuck it back in the envelope.  He put it in his back pant pocket.  "So…what now?"

                "I don't know.  You want time now?"  He scratched his head.

                "Nah.  I'll use it later."  He leaned back in his chair.  His sadness was still evident, but Shinji knew how to cover it up.  It worked for him for many years, and it was nearly second nature to him now.  In fact, he knew the perfect question to get off of the current topic.

                "So, what was this hunch you were telling me about?"  Videl looked at him for a moment before speaking.

                "It's about Saiyaman."

                "What about him?"

                "I…think I know who he is."

                "Really?  Can you give up on finding out his identity?"  She shook her head no.

                "I need to know.  My intentions are pure though.  I don't plan on ratting him out to the public.  I just need to know who he is so I can trust him better, and know that I can rely on him."

                "And yet you've said that you love him.  Videl…you are a confusing lady."

                "I know."

                "You agree with me?"

                "Not really.  But…if I'm right about this hunch, then I really don't know what to do.  It'll only give me more questions to answer."

                "Then why don't you just spit it out?" he asked her.

                "I need evidence that can prove who I think is Saiyaman.  I need to see – with my own eyes – who he is, and how he does what he can do."

                "I see."  He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.  "So…who is it?"  Videl took a deep breath, and spoke.

                "I think that Saiyaman is Go-"

                **BEEP!  BEEP!**

                "Damn it!"  Shinji sighed in relief as Videl brought her police watch up to her mouth.  She started talking into it.  As she did, Shinji hid his worrying emotions.

                She knows.  Or so she thinks she knows.  Should I tell Gohan that she almost positively suspects him of being Saiyaman?  I'll keep my mouth shut for now.  He has too much to worry about now with her in love with his super hero identity.  As he finished his thoughts, Videl got off of her bed.

                "We got a problem.  Apparently, there are two…men in the southern district of the city holding up traffic.  The chief said that when he asked these men off of the street they quickly became hostile and starting causing damage to the surrounding area."

                "And?"

                "The chief got a good look at them.  He said that they have a similar marking on their heads from someone we fought earlier."

                "Gendo…"

                "Exactly."

                "Shit.  Come on."  He walked over to the window, with Videl in tow.  He stopped when he reached the edge of the balcony.  "Are you sure you want to come?  This could get ugly like last time."

                "I know.  I'll be there incase something goes wrong.  Can you handle it until Saiyaman arrives?"

                "I don't know.  Hold on."  He closed his eyes, and reached out with his senses, attempting to figure out where Gohan was.  He found him, barely, at home, at a relax energy level.  "He'll know if it goes bad.  Now let's go.  Need a lift?"

                "Just to the roof.  I ride over in my jet copter."  He picked her up from underneath her arms and lifted her up to the roof.  She ran over to her copter, and moments later, she lifted off.  Shinji flew in front of her, on their way to the southern district.

                The two arrived at the southern district after a few minutes of flight, landing a few hundred feet behind the provisional police line.  The area within a four block radius of where the attacks were happening were clear of nearly everyone except for several dozen cops who had bravely shown up.  More from the outlying areas of Satan City were arriving every minute.  They all breathed a collective sigh of relief once Videl had arrived with one of the new local super heroes.  They both went to the chief, who was stationed safely behind the barrier zone.

                "What's the situation?" Videl asked.

                "They arrived about eight minutes ago, apparently flying in by some witness accounts.  From there, they started destroying random targets."

                "How many dead?"  The chief put his head down.

                "I don't have a clear count yet, but at least twenty are dead, with many more missing.  That's what we've been able to get so far."  That's when Shinji stepped past them.

                "You guys remain here, and tell your men to stay back as well.  I'll take care of this from here."  With that, he took to the air and flew over the cops on the street.  He landed a few feet in front of the barrier and walked forward.  Behind him, Videl was running through the cops and stopped just behind the roadblock.  The chief came up with her.

                "Does he know what he's doing?" the chief asked worriedly.

                "I hope so.  I can only guess that he's going to hold them off until Saiyaman arrives.  I'm not sure how strong these guys are here, but I don't think they are any match for Saiyaman."  Or Shinji for that matter.  Godspeed, Shinji.

                Shinji walked forward until he was twenty feet from the two attackers.  Along the way, he had past numerous dead bodies, something that had an effect on him.  I've never seen anything like this.  This…unnecessary carnage!  These two would surely pay.  "Explain yourselves!" he yelled out.

                The two attackers, who were randomly shooting out windows in buildings, turned towards Shinji.  The one closer to Shinji turned and looked at his counterpart before returning his stare to the teen.

                Then he laughed.  The attacker threw his head back and let out a mighty roar of laughter.  The other one soon joined him.  It went on for several moments before they stopped.

                "Who's asking?" the one in front asked.

                "None of your concern."

                "Fine then…we don't have to explain ourselves then."  He took a couple steps forward and squared himself towards Shinji.  His counterpart leaped over to his side, doing the same thing.  Shinji then noticed the make of both of them.  They both had a matching open vest and pants look, with black and white being the primary display of colors.  Both had white on the top and black on the pants.  Their hair was the same make and color: a short Mohawk of gray spikes.  The only noticeable difference were the pair of earrings both were wearing.  One had a black pair; the other had white on.  Everything other noticeable features about them were the same: the hint of blue on their skins, the make of their muscles, and the black markings imprinted on their heads.

                "All right then.  I'm Shinji."

                "That's better.  My name is Kaou," the one on the right said, "and he is Zaou, my twin brother.  Now…why would a pathetic being like you be out here challenging us?"  Shinji let his cockiness get to him, showing a smirk on his face.

                "In case you don't know, I'm much more powerful than you think."

                "I've noticed.  That little flying act you pulled earlier sure showed us your power, isn't that right Zaou?" Kaou said laughing.  His brother nodded and chuckled in return.  Shinji's smirk turned into anger, as his better judgment faded away.

                "You think that's the extent of my power?!  I'll teach you a lesson shit heads!  And then tell me who's the more powerful fighter!"  The final yell kick started his power.  With a harsh roar, he began powering up, pulling and pushing the energy around him.  Everything around him soon went flying around him.  Loose rubble, dirt, even paper.  The energy being gathered was enormous.  And just when they thought it would stop, it kept going.  Everyone behind Shinji was slowly slipping backwards, desperate to grab onto something.  Videl was the only one there still maintaining her ground.  The villains themselves had to cover their eyes, trying to keep the dirt and wind out of them.

                Then, it stopped.  Shinji had a bright white aura of energy crackling around him, showing his power in its most raw form.  He deepened his stance slightly and took a deep breath.  In front of him, Kaou and Zaou dropped into their own stances.

"Come on now, little boy.  Show me what you got," Kaou said, trying to intimidate Shinji.  The teen said no words.  Instead, he pushed off his back foot and flew forward, yelling out a battle roar and rearing his fist back.  Kaou jumped forward as well, ready to meet Shinji's advancement.  Just as they met, Kaou rocketed a punch forward.

                And hit nothing but air.

                Or rather, Shinji's after image.  He stared at it for a few moments, wondering what goofball trick this was.

                "Over here big guy!"  Kaou barely had time to look, as when he did, a sharp pain filtered throughout his spine.  Shinji's foot impacted at the base of his neck, effectively knocking out his first adversary.  He landed and turned towards Zaou, who had yet to move from his stance.

                "So…you ready to dance, ugly?" Shinji quipped.  Zaou only smirked.  "I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

                Out in a land far away from the occurring turmoil, Gohan and Goten were relaxing in a grassy field, pointing out various clouds and determining who or what they look like.  Goten had found one that resembled Piccolo in a way, which the older boy had to laugh out loud about.

                It was a peaceful setting, something that Gohan surely needed to calm himself down after today's revelations.  He said to himself repeatedly that there was no need to panic.  If Videl had put the moves on his alter ego, then he would just calmly put her down.  Saiyaman was a super hero.  He couldn't fall in love.

                "But I have," he said in a whisper.

                "Have what, Gohan?" Goten asked.

                Damn, Goten heard.  "Nothing Goten.  You'll know when you are older."

                "What's it about?"

                "It's…it's this girl from school.  It's the one I fight crime with.  You remember her?"  Goten thought it over for a quick moment.

                "Is it that one up there?" he asked, pointing up to a cloud.  Gohan looked at that cloud, and saw how it resembled Videl's face nearly perfectly.

                "That's her.  You got a sharp eye squirt."

                "I remember her when she stopped by a couple weeks ago looking for you.  Mom was telling me that she might be you girlfriend with the way you talk to her."

                "Really now?"

                "Yup!  She seems nice.  Can I meet her sometime?"  Gohan chuckled a bit at his brother's innate adorability.

                "Sure thing.  I see about inviting her over sometime, for real this time."  He looked back up in the sky again, relaxing as he did.

                That's when he felt it.  He perked his head up and looked in the direction of what he felt.  "Goten…did you feel that?"

                "I think so.  What is it?"

                "Hold on."  He closed his eyes and spread his senses out.  Feeling the energy reverberating around him, he felt the epicenter of it coming from Satan City.  Stretching out his senses even more, he saw the cause of the energy ping.

                Shinji.

                "Goten, I got to go.  Tell mom I'll be back later."  Gohan quickly got up and shot into the air.  Goten, his curiosity getting to him, jumped up and followed him.

                "Gohan!  What's going on?" he yelled out.

                "It's Shinji.  There's something happening in the city and I have to help!"

                "Can I come?  Please?"  Gohan stopped and looked back at his brother.  He couldn't help but laugh at the happy-go-lucky face Goten was wearing right now.

                "All right.  But here," he said, taking off his watch and putting it on Goten.  He pushed a button, and the Saiyaman costume was formed – with an exact fit – over the younger boy.  "You get to be…Saiyaboy today."

                "I get to be Saiyaboy?  Yay!  Thank you Gohan!"

                "Don't worry about it.  Now, the only thing you have to worry about is to be a Super Saiyan when wearing this.  Videl doesn't know that it's me behind the costume, and I always fight as a Super Saiyan."

                "Okay!"  He quickly turned Super Saiyan, and awaited his next command.  Gohan was busy removing his shirt, since he wouldn't have time to change into a gi, something that he should have done earlier before going out to the field.

                "All right.  Now all we have to do is tell mom where we are going."  At that, Goten cringed up.

                "But Gohan!  Mom won't let me go!"

                "Don't worry about it.  I'll just send her a telepathic message.  We have to get close to the house to do it, but after that, we're off to the city."

                "Okay!"  Again, they were off.  After a quick minute, they spotted their house and flew downwards toward it.

                "Mom!  Mom!  Can you hear me?"  Inside, Chichi was sitting in front of the TV, watching the last of her soap operas.  She heard her older son's voice in her head.

                "Gohan?"

                "Mom!  No time to explain, but I'm going to the city.  Something is happening and I believe my friends need help.  I'm taking Goten with me, though he won't be doing anything to get into trouble.  Oh, and I just put my shirt on the front door.  Bye!"

                "Gohan!" she yelled out.  She went to the door and opened it up.  On the front step, as her son said, was his shirt.  In the distance, she saw two gold streaks quickly disappearing into the clouds.  She sighed.  "Good luck…Gohan."

* * *

                The fight between Shinji and Zaou remained even after a few minutes.  Both had landed and block many attacks, with only a few quick jabs getting in.  They were light enough to not cause any damage to either fighter.  Shinji had felt Gohan leave his house a few minutes ago with Goten as well.  It would still be a while though until the two Saiyans arrived though, and with a quick glance of his eye he saw that Kaou had begun to awaken.  Shit!  Gohan had better hurry here.

                With the quick thought, he lost his concentration for a split second on the battle, and paid for it with a punch to the face, sending him crashing into the street and skidding along it into a building.  He slowly rose to his feet and watched as Zaou walked into the hole.  He can't see me, he thought.  Shinji bent down, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and saw it as Zaou turned his slightly towards the outside.  He attacked, grabbing his opponent around the waist and tackling him through the building a few feet from the hole he created earlier.  They both crashed hard into the street.

                Shinji quickly hopped off him though, jumping backwards through the air and firing a quick round of energy blasts.  Zaou erected an energy shield, but the power was too great, and as the last few landed on and around him, he fell to the ground, nearly unconscious.  Shinji landed at the sidewalk, slightly bent over.  The last attack had taken a bit more out of him than expected, but it had put one of the brothers down.  As he looked around, he noticed that Kaou wasn't on the ground any more.

                Damn it!  I lost him!  Feel him out, Shinji…feel him out…

                "Shinji!  Look out!" Videl yelled from the sidelines.  Shinji barely had time to look up.

                "Looking for me boy?" Kaou said flying fast straight towards Shinji, his knee leading the strike.  At the last possible moment, the teen dove forward as Kaou struck the street.  A large explosion erupted as he struck, kicking parts of the destroyed black top around the area.  Shinji braced himself for some of the rubble, using his arms to protect his face and chest.

                Kaou didn't stop there though.  He quickly bounded out of the hole and flew at Shinji.  The teen froze at the moment, and couldn't prevent the punch that slammed in his face.  He shot back into another building that unfortunately was reinforced.  He hit the wall hard and fell face first into the ground.

                Shinji struggled to his knees, coughing up a bit of blood from the impact.  He was helped up by Kaou.  With one hand, he brought Shinji up to his face.  "You ready to call it quits yet boy?"  He got his answer from Shinji spitting in his face.

                "Please…I've been hit a thousand times worse.  You've barely scratched me."  Kaou only smirked at the young boy's resilience.  With his free hand, he wiped off the saliva from his cheek and cleaned it off on his pant leg.

                "Don't worry.  I've just started."  Kaou pivoted back on his foot and tossed Shinji into the building behind them.  A new hole was created on the second floor wall.  Kaou was quick to follow and entered the building after him.  From outside, one would say that a massive beating was occurring with the impact of the punches that were landed.  Each shot created its own mini-earthquake, knocking anyone standing within a few hundred feet on his or her backsides.  Even Videl, who withstood the earlier assault, couldn't keep her balance with this one.

                "Damn it…I have to help him!  But how?!"  She saw her chance a few moments later when an explosion rocked the already damage side of the building.  A body came out and slammed into the reinforced wall of the building across the street, leaving a sizable dent in the concrete wall.  Videl knew who it was at first glance and was quick to his side.

                "Shinji!  Shinji!  Get up!"  The said teen, on his back, lifted his head up slightly.  Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and from the side of his eyes.  His shirt and pants were torn in various places.  Through squinted eyes, he saw who was calling his name.

                "Videl?  Get out of here, now!  It's too dangerous!" he yelled, turning on his side and pushing himself up.  His arm went straight to his ribs, and he grimaced in pain.  "Damn, I think he broke a rib."  A pair of footsteps in front of him caused him to look up.  Kaou stalked over him, a deadly smirk on his face.

                "Little girlfriend coming to your rescue now?  How sweet."

                "She's not my girlfriend…bastard," Shinji said, seething with new rage, as he struggled to his feet.

                "Oh good.  Then maybe I can kill her without your con-"  He never finished his remark.  Shinji had lunged forward and put most of his remaining power into one punch.  That one punch sent Kaou through the building across the street and into the next one.  The building, already heavily damaged from fighting, finally collapsed on itself.  Shinji dropped to one knee, nearly out of power.

                "Shinji!  Come on, I'm getting you out of here!" Videl screamed, trying to pull Shinji to his feet.

                "No…don't.  Just get out of here.  The other guy…is coming," he barely said, pushing Videl backwards to the building next to them, just as he received a kick from the now fully aware Zaou.  He landed some fifty feet from Videl down the street.  The only thing she could do now is just watch as the two villains made their slow advance towards Shinji.

                The teen looked up from the last attack to see the brothers make their way down the street.  They stopped about ten feet in front of him.

                "So, boy…you really thought you could dance with us, huh?" Kaou asked.  Shinji, with all that he had left, struggled onto his feet.  Nearly every bone and nearly every muscle ached in pain.  He never felt such a searing pain in his life, including Gohan's recent sparring sessions.  Yet despite all of that, he had to stand.  His body refused to quit, despite his inside objections.  All he knew was that Gohan was minutes away, and that he had to hold out for that much longer.

                "Hey Zaou!  He does think he can dance with us.  Doesn't want to quit yet I see.  Well, after this attack, then maybe you'll call it a day.  I can feel your friends coming, by the way.  I'm not like that idiot Gendo.  Stupid human.  All you idiots want is power."  Kaou stepped back next to his brother.  "Zaou, prepare the final attack."  The twin nodded.

                The two looked on at Shinji, who now managed to stay on his feet, albeit rather weakly.  Together, they placed their hands in a diamond-like shape in front of each other.  Together, they closed their eyes.

                And together, they attacked.

"MIND GAMES!" the two yelled out.  At that exact moment of the attack call, they opened their eyes and thrust their hands forward.  A red diamond, each starting out small, appeared from each of their hands.  But as it moved forward, they grew in size until they merged into one diamond.  It continued forward until it hit its target.

Shinji.

                At first, he doesn't feel a thing, and he wonders what that attack was for.

                But then, he feels something.  Not within his body, but within his mind.  He feels it begin as a mild tingling, yet it soon increases.  He reaches a hand to his head, grabbing it in a vain attempted to quell the pain.

                His other hand reaches his head.  It does nothing to help.  And then he feels it.

                Failure.

                Failure.

                Complete and utter failure.

                The failure spread like a fire, raging out of control through his mind.

                Failure.

                Failure.

                FAILURE!

                And then, he fell down.  And he screamed.  It was unlike any scream or yell before.  Those before were the cry of battles being fought.  Those were the one of victory.

                This was the scream of complete defeat.

                Unconditional surrender.

                And he feels the tears slowly come out.  The unshed tears of years before all come out in an uncontrollable display of emotions.

                He tries to fight it.  He desperately tries to fight it.

                He can't beat it.

                It rings through his head again and again.

                Failure.

                Failure.

                By now, Videl had joined his side.  She could do nothing to help sooth the pain.  She didn't know what had happened, but knew already that she couldn't help.

                It was too late now.

                "Listen up, little girl," Kaou said, walking up to her.  She looked up, anger and rage in her eyes for what they did to Shinji.  "Don't try anything, cause you know you can't possibly harm us.  Now, in a few minutes, one of your friends will arrive.  Tell him to meet us outside of this city tomorrow at the setting of the sun.  And tell him, the only way to get your friend here back to normal is to kill us.

                "Tell him to come alone too.  If he doesn't, this city, and everyone inside it, will drown in a sea of fire."  He turned around and walked back to his brother.

                "Oh, I almost forgot."  He turned around to Videl again, still seething in anger.  "Unless we're killed in thirty-six hours, he dies."  With that, the brothers reach down to their pants and push something along their hips.  After a blue flash converges over them, they vanish, leaving Videl, Shinji, and a huge amount of dazed cops.

                Exactly two seconds later, Gohan and Goten arrived through the use of the older one's Instant Transmission technique.  Videl looked up in wonder, seeing Saiyaman and…a younger boy dressed in Saiyaman's costume.

                "Saiyaman!  It's Shinji!  He's hurt…I don't know what to do."

                "Here.  Let me see him."  He stepped up and looked down at Shinji while Videl backed away.  Gohan looked over Shinji for a second before placing a hand on his head.  With the brief connection, he felt the anguish and defeat occurring within the teen's head.  He turned to look at Videl.

                "What happened here today?" he asked.

                "Two guys…they just tore this whole place apart.  And they attacked Shinji with some kind of mind attack.  He's been screaming like this for a while now!"  She stepped up to Gohan, pulling him off of Shinji and letting her anger take over.  "And where the hell were you?!  Where the…where the fuck were you, Saiyaman?!  Tell me!"  Gohan, of course, was shaken.  He didn't let that show.

                "I'm sorry.  I was too far away.  I tried to get here as fast as I could, but I see I'm too late."  Videl, in spite of herself, stepped back from Gohan.

                "You're not too late."  Gohan looked over at her, confused.

                "What do you mean?"  Videl looked over to Shinji, trying her hardest to get her gaze off of Gohan.

                "Those guys that came…they said for you to come back tomorrow night at sunset.  Alone."

                "What do they plan on doing?" he asked, looking back and forth between Shinji and Videl.

                "They just want to fight you.  They also said that Shinji has thirty-six hours to live."

                "Did they speak of a cure?"

                "Yeah.  They need to be killed."  That hit Gohan harder than anything that he thought possible.  It's the one thing he didn't want to do.  He's done it before, but it has been too long since he has killed anyone.  "Saiyaman…I don't know if it's possible.  Look what they did to Shinji!"

                "I know what they did.  And I can beat them.  Shinji would have had a better chance if it was just one on one too."  He placed a hand on Videl's shoulder, getting her attention.  "Don't worry.  I can fix all of this mess."

                "How?  People died here today!"

                "There is a way.  Trust me."  Videl saw the look in his eyes.  She saw the determination that she had fallen in love with.  She put her head down to avoid his gaze.

                "I trust you."  Gohan moved his hand off of her shoulder.

                "Good.  Now come on; it isn't safe here."  He walked over to Shinji, who had worn himself out with all of the pain and agony that he felt.  He was asleep, although it wasn't a peaceful sleep, not one bit.  He picked him up and carried him in his arms.

                "Where am I going?" Videl asked.

                "With us.  Saiyaboy!"  At the moment, Goten walked up.  Videl looked over and saw the little boy with the same wild hair as Saiyaman.

                "Yeah?" Goten asked.

                "I want you to carry Videl.  Follow me up to the Lookout.  We'll plan with Piccolo up there."

                "Yay!  I get to see Piccolo!"  Goten, obviously, was ecstatic to see Piccolo again.

                "Hey Saiyaman…who's Piccolo?" Videl asked.  Gohan walked over to her with Goten in tow.

                "He's that green guy you saw from that first attack.  We'll be stopping by his home.  If you're lucky, you can meet the guardian."

                "Guardian?  Guardian of what?"

                "The Earth," Gohan said.  Videl was in shock.

                "You know the Guardian of the Earth?!" she yelled out.

                "Well, yeah.  I am a super hero, you know."  He lifted up into the air.  "Now let's go.  We're wasting time.  Saiyaboy, grab her and let's go."  Gohan started flying higher up.  Videl looked up, seeing the hero slowly disappear into the sky.  She felt a tug on her shirt and saw the boy getting her attention.

                "Yes?" she asked.

                "I'm supposed to take you now."

                "I know.  You think you can carry me, though?"

                "Yeah."  To prove his point, he lifted up into the air and picked up Videl from underneath her arms.  They soon took off in the direction that Gohan went.

                "I see."  Those were the last words she said for a while, as they soon entered the clouds, leaving the cops on the ground to pick up the pieces for the arriving media.  None of them there had a logical explanation for today's events.

                Or tomorrows, for that matter.

* * *

[1] Chibi May is pronounced like 'my'.  Since 'Maya' sounds like 'my-uh', it works to keep it as such.

Ah, time to respond to the reviewers.

Angie – Yes, it's going to be long.  I'm not sure how long, but I'm projecting something between twenty-five and fifty chapters.  And the chapters are going to remain this long.

Adam – Well, you are the first to mention that connection.  Originally, I want to make a character like Shinji from the show.  As it developed though, this was a completely different character.  The name just stuck.  As you saw earlier, I used 'Gendo' as well.  Am I signifying something cryptic here?  Who knows?

Enzeru no Yami – I'm really glad to hear that.  And I've just started too.  ^_^

RDBRaptor – Ah, my most loyal reader/reviewer.  I must say, I went and read 'Consuming Madness', and I was simply amazed.  That story just blew my mind.  I really doubt I can get to that level of greatness, cause that thing just rocked.  Oh, sorry to scare you buddy.  I'll be waiting for what you have to say about this chapter.

Disturbed Courtney – Just to let you know, I read this myself.  I doubt you would have wanted to beta this.

Lady Foeseeker – Thanks for the review.  Next week huh?  Sweet.

To everyone else – Thanks.

Hmm…there's something about writing a thing like this that makes me happy.  I really don't know why people liked the last chapter.  I simply hated it.  I really don't know if it went the way I wanted to, but I got out what needed to get out.  I'm glad that people did like it, though I still haven't gotten the reviews that I would like to see.  Beggars can be choosers though.  I personally don't care how many reviews I get though.  A review is a review.  Something positive to look at and admire I guess.   And I really hope you guys enjoy this one, cause I really, really liked writing this one.  That's why I'm happy.  I got out everything that I wanted to the right way, and I'm just ecstatic now.

You people should be too.  Now review.

By the way, my sister and I have created a co-author name for us.  'S.A.T. Disturbed Shaggy' is the name…although Core might remove the first three letters…calling me a dork…stupid brat.  Grr.

Next chapter: A day passes, and Gohan goes into battle Kaou and Zaou.  Yet with a cleverly concealed secret more devastating than the Mind Games Attack, Gohan will have to push himself to his limits to beat this duo.  Meanwhile, Shinji's condition continues to get worse, and Videl makes a decision that will affect nearly everything that has happened so far.


	7. I:VII Heroes, Love and a Battle for a F...

Disclaimer: Do I really need to repeat this every time?

Pre-chapter author's rants: Part One -

                Hello, and welcome to the first of a series of pre-chapter author's rants.  Why these rants?  Well, I think after this chapter, and everything that has been happening in my life, I'm allowed to.  Just to let you readers know, there are some important bits about this rant that will be vital to the knowledge of the future of this story.

                First, and most importantly: no, this story will not be stopped now.  There are certain things happening in my life, the biggest of which is that I am now commuting to school.  I haven't been doing so well, and my parents decided to do this to try and keep me out of the college atmosphere, or reduce my exposure to it.  What does this do to the story?  Well, it reduces the amount of time I have to work on this story.  I had originally planned to do two chapters over my winter break, and I managed to just do one, and barely.  So now my writing schedule changes for the worse.  The only probable times I can write is on the weekends, and any other time I can fit in.

                And I need to say this now: please, please don't leave reviews begging me to update soon, cause it won't happen.

                That said, I have to say this: Chapter Eight won't be done till at least the end of March.  I'm that serious.  I want this to be a good quality story, and I don't need people pushing me to update when I can't.  If I can, I'll start a mailing list.  That, I believe, is the least I can do.

                One other thing I can do – to prove that I am still alive – is by writing a few one-shots, hopefully like the one I wrote back in December.  By the way, if you haven't read it, go read it and review it.  It's entitled "Saiyaman Poses: What They're Really For", by yours truly and with some ideas from DarkHeart81.

                I guess the last thing I can do is give you an update on the story structure.  After this chapter, there will be two more chapters in part one.  In all, there will be nine chapters in part one.  I hope to tie up a few subplots in those two chapters, as well as this one below you.  Part two will have a different focus for the first few chapters, as it focuses on Shinji and another character that I will be introducing.  Some of that revolves around a second major plot that will be revealed in chapter ten.  I ask you this: please don't lose interest in the story because of that.  It is vitally important to read it when it comes out.  The story will get very interesting in part two, and I promise you that, by the end of that part, you guys will hate me.  I only give you time to think about what I plan on doing.

                One more thing, and then I can let you get on with the story.  I had originally planned to write and post eight to twelve chapters this year.  With the changed outlook, it looks to be shortened from five to eight chapters.  Again, I apologize, but with everything that's been happening to me during the last three or so weeks, I can only hope to get that much done for you guys.

                Sorry to keep you waiting, and I think that will be the longest rant that I'll post.  Now, I present to you, Chapter Seven.

* * *

That Warm and Fuzzy Feeling From the Back of a Saiyan

A fanfic from ShaggyDiz

Chapter Seven

* * *

                The trip to the Lookout was made in relative silence.  Gohan remained ahead of Goten and Videl, and with Shinji unconscious, kept to his thoughts.  Videl, meanwhile, was attempting to get some information out of the young boy.  That proved futile after a few minutes, as even the tempting of candy couldn't derail Goten.

                Yes, he knew better than to take candy from strangers.

                They arrived at the Lookout after a short twenty-minute flight.  Gohan immediately told Mr. Popo to keep an eye on Videl and Goten while he went inside with Dende and Piccolo.  Videl didn't bother to try asking the strange genie anything.  She walked to the edge and looked over it.  She didn't have a fear of heights, yet knew this was a rather large fall to the ground if she were to accidentally slip off of it.  Then again, she only wanted Saiyaman to the rescue.

                And this only confused her more.  She didn't understand why she was in love with him.  It made no logical sense.  Well, with her being the daughter of a champ and him being a hero, it probably made a bit of sense.  Yet, do heroes themselves fall in love?  She knew the answer.

                Yes.  It was 'yes' because she was a hero herself.  Not as big as Saiyaman, but before he showed up, she was the local hero.  She was there when people needed help.

                And she had fallen in love.  'Yes' was the logical conclusion.

                Of course, she'd have to ask Saiyaman if he liked her at all, or if he was just there for, well, being there.  She just wanted to know.

                Then there is Gohan.

                "Life is so complicated sometimes," she mumbled to herself, lazily swinging her feet over the edge of the Lookout.

* * *

                Meanwhile, Gohan had brought Shinji into one of the many bedrooms inside of the temple.  He laid him on the bed and allowed Dende to fix him.  Using his inherited healing gift, he quickly healed his wounds and reconstructed his broken bones.  When he was done, Dende took a step back and looked down with the other occupants of the room.  Shinji looked slightly more at ease, but barely, has his lips and eyes continued to tremble.

                "Dende," Gohan started, "can you heal his mind at all?"  The young god shook his head.

                "I'm afraid not, Gohan.  My powers can only heal the physical wounds, not the mental ones.  If I could, then we'd all be celebrating right now."

                "We are far from celebrating, Dende.  Those two will be back."

                "And what about Shinji?" Piccolo asked.

                "He has less than thirty-six hours to live."  Piccolo looked down at his former student.

                "Gohan…is there anything we can do to help?"  The teen looked up at his mentor.

                "I'm afraid not."  He paused for a second, looking down at Shinji.  Keeping his gaze there, he spoke: "Actually, there may be.  I might need back up tomorrow night when I go face those two.  From what I've learned from Videl, they can sense energy levels."  He looked back up to Piccolo.  "You're going to have to mask your energy level.  Keep a fair distance away too."

                "Any idea on how strong they were?" Piccolo asked.

                "From what I sensed, the stronger of the two was slightly more powerful than Shinji.  If it were one of one, he would have had a greater chance of defeating either of them."

                "How strong is Shinji, by the way?"

                "At his fullest, slightly below Eighteen.  You felt it earlier though, right?"

                "Yes…I kept an eye on the battle.  I should have gone to help."  Gohan turned around, facing the door.  He placed a hand on Piccolo's shoulder.

                "Don't worry about it, Piccolo.  Besides, there had to be a reason behind this attack.  I don't think they planned on killing Shinji."

                "Why do you think that?"

                "Cause I think they wanted me."  With that, he left the room.  Piccolo and Dende were looking back and forth between each other and where Gohan once stood.  After a few minutes of silence, Dende spoke.

                "What do you think about all this, Piccolo?"

                "This incident…it must be connected with the one from two weeks ago."

                "You mean with Gendo?"  Piccolo nodded.  "I wish I was able to follow him when he left."

                "It's not your fault.  We were caught…rather, Gohan was caught off guard."  He let a small smirk come on his face.  "He'd make a good detective."

                "How so?"

                "I've kept my eye on him while you were looking elsewhere.  Along with Shinji, they tried to look for anything on Gendo.  They had a reason to believe that something was up with him."

                "And now they know?"  Piccolo only nodded.  "What do you think he's doing now?"

                "I believe he's still going to be the detective.  If I were him, I'd ask that girl out there what she found out about today."  He turned to walk out of the room.  "Stay with Shinji.  I'll have Popo on guardian duty, and I'll return after I speak with Gohan about tomorrow."

* * *

                Gohan exited the temple and walked over to where Videl and Goten were.  As he got into view, he saw Goten and Popo sparring a bit, with the genie on the receiving end of the attacks.  He was able to block most of them though, which saved him a lot in the pain department.  Once Gohan had come out, however, the fighting ceased.  Goten ran up to his older brother, jumping up and down repeatedly like he had made some kind of major discovery.  Gohan picked up his brother, ending his ranting.

                "Goten," he whispered, "you're going to go home on your own.  Are you going to be able to find your way home?"  Goten nodded.  "Good.  Tell mom I'll be back in a couple of hours.  I have a few things to take care off.  Don't turn off the costume until you get home.  Mom knows how to do it, so have her."

                "Okay, Gohan."  Goten hopped out of his brother's arms and runs towards the edge of the Lookout.  Waving bye to Videl, he took off to his home.  Gohan walked over to the girl, standing beside her at the edge.

                "Videl," Gohan said.  She looked up at him, curiosity evident in her face.

                "Yes?"

                "There are a few things I need you to do when I take you back."  He paused for a second and kept his gaze out into the sky in front of him.  "Tell the media not to come out to the fight area tomorrow night.  I know that they all want the action footage, but it's going to be too dangerous for anyone to get near there.  In fact, get the police to block all the roadways and the air traffic."  She nodded.

                "Good.  Hopefully I can lead them away from the city to minimize the damage."  He paused briefly.  "If not, then I can get the dragon balls and fix it.  I'm going to need them anyway."  This got Videl's attention.

                "Dragon balls?" she asked.  Gohan finally looked down at her.

                "Yes.  Dragon balls.  Ever hear of the legend?"  She shook her head.  Gohan let loose a small smile and returned his gaze to the sky.  "Do you remember back after the Cell Games, when all of those people killed by Cell were brought back to life?"

                "Yeah.  But what does that have to do with anything?  He died, and people thought my dad brought them back to life."  Gohan looked down at Videl again.

                "You really don't know anything, do you?"  A switch was pushed inside of Videl's head, quickly setting her off.  Yet, as quickly as that switch was turned on, it turned off, and Videl's face showed that.  She went from anger to guiltiness in just a second.

                "No," she replied, pride and guilt evident in her voice.  Gohan sat down next to her, mimicking her sitting patterns.

                "You do, don't worry.  You're learning more and more everyday that I'm around.  Someday soon, you'll know the truth."  He looked out to the sky again.  Videl turned to look at the golden hair hero.  It felt like something was twisting and turning inside of her every time she looked at him.

                _So this is what love feels like?_ she thought silently to herself.  She slowly – and quietly – moved over to where Gohan was.  The few feet quickly narrowed into a few inches, and Gohan, so invigorated by the clouds, didn't notice until she was right on top of him.  He looked at her with a questioning glance, and she just met his eyes all the same.  She turned her gaze into the sky and leaned against his arm.  Videl wrapped her arms around his, and, contrary to the belief, Gohan didn't mind.

                "Thank you," she said.

                "For what?"

                "I don't know…I guess for saving me all those times.  I don't think I properly thanked you."

                "There was never a need to."  Videl looked up at him, confused.  He could sense it without looking.  "I knew that deep down inside, you were always thanking me for saving you and everyone else.  I was always just doing my job, like you would do, and people still give their thanks, even if they never told you."

                "Really?" she asked.  Gohan nodded.

                "I can tell.  It's all with the eyes."  To prove his point, he took his finger and pointed it right at Videl's eye.  "There's a subtle gleam to it."

                "I see," she said, blushing slightly and letting a small smile form on her face.  "It kind of makes sense now, I guess."

                "Good.  Now I'm going to need my arm back."

                "How come?"

                "Cause Piccolo is about ten feet behind me, and I think he wants to discuss strategy."

                "How did you –"  She turned around, totally surprised with what Gohan said.  There stood Piccolo, not more than ten feet from where they were.  She reluctantly let go of his arm.  "Okay."

                Gohan got up, lightly patting Videl's shoulder as he did.  He walked to Piccolo, and both of them took several steps away from Videl to get out of her ear range.  "Yeah, Piccolo?"

                "So what's the plan?"

                "Videl's going to get the cops involved; going to have them block off all the major exits of the city.  She's also going to try and put a media silence around the area, although that might not help."

                "Fanatical people down there, huh?"

                "Blame her dad.  That's what got those idiots into this mess anyway."  Piccolo let a slight smirk come off from the comment.

                "He is a bumbling fool at that one.  What else you have planned?" he asked, his tone reverting back to its seriousness.

                "I figure I would pay Korin a visit.  Wouldn't help to have a few senzu beans on hand.  You think he replenished his supply from the last attack?"

                "I would believe so.  If not, then we'd have to be extra careful.  Enemies before have pulled some nasty tricks on us; I would suspect that these guys would do the same.  Be prepared."

                "I will.  If I have to, I'll try and go ascended Super Saiyan.  It's been over six years since I've used it."

                "I know.  This lack of training of yours could seriously affect the outcome of the battle.  I seriously doubt anything can beat an ascended Super Saiyan though.  You have my full confidence and backing in the fight tomorrow."  Gohan smirked.

                "It's not like you wouldn't have given it anyway.  I might need to convince Vegeta to give some support, though I seriously doubt he'll join the battle.  If he senses trouble, then he'll know to come."  He turned back towards the edge of the Lookout where Videl still sat.  "He'll probably beat me senseless after we win this fight too," he said over his shoulder.  Gohan walked over to the edge, where Videl stood up and greeted him.

                "So what now Saiyaman?"

                "Now I got to go visit someone for a quick second.  Don't worry, he's only a few miles below us."  As he said this, two fingers go to his head.  "And I think I'm close enough to him where I wouldn't have to fly down."  With that, he disappeared from Videl's view and entered into Korin's view.  A brief mind scan from the cat updated him on the current events.  He gave Gohan two senzu's and apologized for the lack of stock.  Concluding their business, Gohan used his Instant Transmission and teleported back to the Lookout next to Piccolo.

                "How many?"

                "Just two."

                "Damn."  Gohan stuck out his hand with the beans in it.

                "We might as well split them.  If these guys show us something we haven't seen, then use only half of it for the first round.  They'll still work to replenish most of the wounds."

                "Good.  Take it easy then kid.  I'll see you on the battle field."

                "All right Piccolo."  He shook his mentor's hand before departing.  Gohan walked to the edge of the Lookout, where a smiling Videl was waiting.

                "You're smiling."  She nodded vigorously.

                "I know."

                "Strange," he mumbled under his breath.  "You ready?"  She nodded again.  He picked her up and carried her in his arms; one underneath her legs while another was beneath her back.  Videl wrapped her arms around his neck, and then they took off.

                The flight itself took about forty minutes, and a comfortable silence was held the whole time.  Gohan from time to time looked down at his bundle when she wasn't looking.  He knew he had that feeling in his heart that fell deeper in love with Videl everyday.  He knew it too.  He had confessed his feelings earlier in the day to Shinji, and, while Gohan figured that he told her, it would have to wait.  He had to get it off his chest somehow, and as today did help, it didn't help much.  The person he loved was in his arms, yet she was so far away too.

                Videl, meanwhile, stole quick glances of Gohan's face whenever he wasn't looking.  She too had the strong feeling in her heart of love.  And while it was strong for the hero, it was equally becoming stronger with each passing day for the nerd that she sits next to every day in school.  Videl was confused, yes, for she was falling in love with two men, one of which she hoped to tell soon.  Her hunch would have to wait as well, as she still lacked the credible evidence to prove what she wanted to know.

                It was past six o'clock when the pair arrived at Videl's balcony window.  Gohan placed the girl on her feet and prepared to depart.  Videl saw this though and went to stop him.

                "Saiyaman!" she cried out.  He stopped floating backwards to acknowledge her.

                "Yes, Videl?"

                "Um…can I ask you something?"  Gohan titled his head to the side, a little wary of Videl's current actions.

                "You could ask me from there while I'm up here."

                "Well, I kind of want to tell you face to face."  The blush creeping up on her face was now visible, even in the dying sunset.  Gohan floated back down until he was at the rail of the balcony, floating on the opposite side of it as Videl.

                "Okay."  She shook her head, pushing her fears aside.

                "No…come over here."  She pointed to the ground in front of her.  Gohan simply complied.  He was now really confused to her actions.  He looked down at the girl and noticed the redness in her cheeks, despite the shadow that he created over her.

                "What is it that you want to ask me?" he asked patiently.  As he said that, Videl placed a hand on his naked chest, more to steady herself, but also to put her mind into motion and push her fears aside.

                "I…I wanted to personally thank you for saving me," she said, looking away to the ground.  It became a nice spot to look at during the current moment.  Gohan noticed that, but paid no heed.  His naïve ness was striking again.

                "Videl, there's no need to thank me.  Remember what I told you."  That's when she looked up at him and stared into his eyes.  She turned her body so that she was facing him completely.  Her free hand also went to his bare chest.

                "I know," she said.  "But…I must."  With that, she reached up and brought her hand behind his head.  Grabbing a few locks of his golden hair, she pulled him down slightly while she reached up on her toes.

                Gohan's mind was screaming the whole time.  Cursing and begging him to run, he had not expected this course of action, not after the last time she nearly pulled this stunt.

                He didn't move away this time though.  It let it happen.

                She kissed him lightly on the lips.  _His lips are powerful_, she thought.  It was a strange thought, yes.  Irrational even, but this was a time where irrational thoughts didn't matter.  As she let her kiss settle in, Videl closed her eyes to relish the moment.

                Gohan did likewise, watching her do the same.  _Her lips…soft…feathery.  It's like an angel._  He liked this moment.  Hell, he loved it.  All he wanted to do was just sweep her up in his arms and carry her onto the bed.  Irrational thinking again, for a pure moment of bliss.  He nearly slipped too.  He moved his arms up to her hips as the kiss settled in, just a light kiss on the lips, and nothing more.

                Slowly they broke the kiss; rather, Gohan broke the kiss himself.  He moved his head back slightly while pushing her back slowly with his hands.  He looked down at Videl, who still kept her eyes closed, and whose lips remained in their kissing position.  Soon, she realized that the moment was over.  She closed her mouth and opened her eyes to see Saiyaman looking down at her.  Her hand still clutched his hair, but she soon relinquished control of that.  It slid down to his chest again, parallel to her other hand.

                "Saiyaman," she whispered.

                "Videl…I'm sorry.  Please, you must understand this."  He kept his eyes locked with hers.  Videl had tilted her head slightly to try to understand what was happening.

                "Understand what?" she asked, whispering again.

                "I hate to do this to you…but you realize that this can't work.  I'm sorry."  There was a silence.  Unlike their previous silences, this one was uncomfortable.  It was unbearable.  The air around them became hot with pressure because of the tension.  Finally, Videl broke it.

                "I understand," she simply said.  Her arms became limp as she looked down towards the ground.  Gohan calmly took a hand from her hip and placed it under her chin, lifting her face up so he can look into her eyes again.  He realized what he had done, but it had to happen.  Gohan the Superhero couldn't fall in love.  Gohan the Nerd…had.

                He just wished that when she found out about it, that she would forgive him.

                "Videl, I truly am sorry," he said.  But Videl couldn't take it anymore.  She swatted his hand away, and the blissful happiness she experienced minutes before turned into unbridled anger.

                "No!  Just…just get away."  She pushed herself away from Gohan, backwards toward the opposite end of her balcony.  She stared at him with a deadly glare, one that could burn holes into an ordinary man.

                "Videl –"

                "Leave!" she shouted, pointing out towards the sky next to her.  She didn't care where he went.  She just wanted him to leave.

                "Videl!" Gohan shouted.  He needed to end this now, and he figured fighting fire with fire would work.

                "No!  Leave!"  So far, it was unsuccessful.

                That was, until he made a major mistake.

                He reached out and grabbed her wrist.  That's when she snapped.

                That's when she reached around and slapped him in the face.  Hard.

                For the Saiyan though, it barely stung.  He was unprepared for it though, yet he let his face go with the motion of it.  He let go of Videl's wrist, which she pulled back to hold her stinging hand.  Gohan's body remained unmoving though, still in slight shock from the hit.

                He came out of it though and turned to look at Videl.  She looked at him, hurt in her eyes as well as his.  She knew this was wrong.  Everything right now was wrong.  Why did she have to kiss him?  Why did he have to say no?  That was the burning question in her mind.

                And as she thought it over, Gohan had decided to leave her to her thoughts.  He was hurt, yes.  It had to be done though.  No matter what, it had to be done.  As he began floating up, he heard a desperate plea.

                "Wait!" Videl cried out.  Gohan heard it, and turned around to face her.  He hovered no more than five feet from the balcony floor.

                "Yes?" he said as calm as he possibly could.  She walked forward a few steps until they were mere feet apart.  The question was nagging her though.  She had to ask him.  She must know why.

                "Why?"  Gohan looked down at her.  He had wanted to her this question.  He wanted her to get this out of the way so it would all be over.  Her stubbornness persisted however.  It was one of the things, for some strange reason, that Gohan loved about her.

                "Because," he said.  He held a brief pause before finishing.  "Because I'm a hero.  And heroes can't fall in love."

                It hit Videl like a train.  And she knew it too.  It slammed into her, tore her insides apart and spewed them all over the tracks.  By the gods she did know it.  It played in her mind over and over again, how that statement sounded like the one she thought off an hour before.

                And she knew it was a lie.

                "No!"  This caught Gohan off guard.  He tilted his head slightly, confused of this mannerism of hers.

                "No?"

                "You're wrong," she choked out.  Her fists were clenched and her eyes were shut tight.  Gohan saw none of this, as she was keeping her head down.  It wasn't until she looked up at him did he see what was wrong now.  Her eyes, now open, were brimming with tears.  She started shaking too.  Gohan floated down back to the balcony and landed, looking at the girl.

                "Why?" he asked.

                "Because I'm a hero!" she shouted at him, her tears now sliding down her cheeks.  "And I've fallen in love!"  She stared at him, waiting for a reaction from him.  She didn't get one, for Gohan already knew it.  He found out several hours before of this development.  His silence only angered the girl more.

                "Talk damn you!"  And so he did.

                "Videl, the lives we live are vastly different from each others.  Your life, while I might not understand it all, is a sheltered one where a father who shamelessly spends all his time in the limelight does nothing but prevent you from being who you truly are.  You risk your life every day fighting with the police department.  I don't know why, but I assume it's for good reasons.

                "I've lived a life protecting people that I care for.  It wasn't an easy life.  No…it was quite the opposite.  I've lived with the burden and pain of the actions that I took, and people have died as a result.  I am nothing but trouble for you."  She starred at him, listening to his every word.  She knew he was true about her.  He admitted that he knew very little about him, yet nailed what was known.  As for his life, she had to believe him.  As absurd as it sounded, Videl felt as if it came from his heart.

                "But, why?  I don't understand.  Everything is just so wrong."

                "Videl, nothing is wrong.  This is what life does to us.  It throws us curves that we can barely understand.  Yet, what we do know will help us get through each day.  Do you understand that?"  She nodded.

                "I understand.  Yet why can't you love me like I love you?"  Her tears fell faster now.  She was quickly becoming tired, and this soul baring, the thing she rarely does, is causing too much pain for her to handle.  Gohan made it short and simple for her though.

                "Because I don't want to lose you.  It would tear me apart if that happened."

                With that she knew.  It became clear as day to her now.  He did love her.  He couldn't risk that love.  If she died, he would probably die as well.

                "Tell me," she said softly.  Her tears had died down, and she was in more control.  "How many people have died that you cared for?"

                "Too many.  The one that hurt the most was the one that prevented my brother from having a father."

                "I…I'm sorry."

                "Don't," he said, turning to leave.  "He wasn't.  He was proud to be my father.  He was proud of what I did.  No matter how many times I beat myself over this, I know, deep down inside, that he smiles from that place he currently resides at up in the sky."  He floated up into the air, and turned one last time to Videl.  "Make sure you tell the police and media the plan.  I'll come by when it's over.  Goodnight, Videl."

                "Goodnight, Saiyaman."  With that, Gohan flew off.  Videl retreated to the safety of her room, where her father had barged in shortly after she settled at her bed.  She yelled at him for invading her privacy and kicked him out.  She laid back in her bed, not bothering to bring the covers over her.  She didn't bother with her homework, or anything else for that matter for the rest of the night.  Well, she would get her personal maid to bring her dinner, but that was all.

                She fell into a fitful sleep, happy and content.  She had no reason as to why she slept like she did that night, despite the heartbreak she felt.  She realized that maybe her love for the hero was fruitless, although he had acknowledged – without mentioning it – that he loved her.  How much, she wasn't sure.  There was nothing much she could do about it.  Their relationship would surely change; she knew that.  She would see him repeatedly to fight crime, and her love for him, she knew, couldn't get in the way.

                He was right, she concluded for herself.  There was too much of a risk to fall in love with each other.  To risk that would bring much more heartbreak than she felt tonight.  What she would do now was anybodies guess.

                She still had Gohan.  She might as well try a relationship with him. Correction: she had a great relationship with him.  Videl could only conclude that he was too shy to maybe pursue a different type of relationship.  She could work on that hunch of hers a bit more too.

                But as she fell asleep, she never realized how relevant those last words Saiyaman had said tonight.  She had forgotten that he had said that his father was proud of him.

                Gohan had said the same thing to her two weeks ago.

                Ah, the misery of heartbreak.  Irrational thinking was never a good thing.  And that irrational thinking made her forget those last words altogether.

* * *

                It was now Thursday.  A new school day came and went, but not without its problems.  Of course, the problems mainly rested on the shoulders of Videl and Gohan.  Videl had the first hand account of the events, but was unable to give away any details, for it would give away Shinji's identity.  Instead, no one made a passing glance to Shinji's absence.  They figured that it was the flu, or some other type of virus that kept him out of school for the day.

                Videl knew the true cause, though, and that had made her fidgety the whole day.  No one made a second glance though, except for Gohan.  He had asked her, and she gave an abridged account of the events from the day before, carefully leaving out Shinji.  She had made a note to herself to ask Shinji after all of this about a superhero name.  Being called 'Shinji' out in police work wasn't the smartest of things.

                But there was no time for that now, especially if Saiyaman failed in defeating the current threat.  As school began, Shinji had about twenty-four hours to live.  When school ended, it would be brought down fourteen or fifteen hours.  The window of opportunity was big, yet she knew anything could happen.  Saiyaman may win, or Saiyaman may lose.  It was as simple as that.

                This weighed heavily on the mind of Gohan.  From the time he returned home yesterday and throughout the current school day, he was in a slightly depressed state.  He constantly asked himself 'Why?'  Why did this have to happen?  Videl had asked him about his gloomy state.  He gave off a quick excuse; one that the girl easily accepted to an extent.  He had to keep up the façade somehow.

                But deep down in his heart, he knew that he had failed again.  And this had brought his previous failures out into the light.

                "I'm not cut out for this," he mumbled once during the day, somewhere in the bathroom between lunch and the next class.  This wasn't the way to think though.

                He knew it though.

                Vegeta would pound it out of him.  Piccolo would do the same.  And he knew that neither his mom nor Goten would want to see him like this.  He couldn't fail though.  Pride had been the answer.  It was taken a notch down because of yesterday.

                But not now.

                He knew what he had to do.  And he would do it.

                He would save Shinji.

                That is what he contemplated on the highest building in the city.  He sat over its edge, letting his legs hang over.  He saw in the distance Videl's yellow jet copter.

                "I guess she is saying goodbye for the last time, just in case," he said.  "I wouldn't blame her."  An idea sprang into his head.  Lifting off, he quickly jetted to West City and to Capsule Corporation.  He landed in the yard and walked over to the stone statue that stood alone amongst the flowers.

                The stone statue was of Goku: a memorial for a great man.

                Gohan walked up to it and looked up at it.  He marveled in its size: it captured the true scope of his father's heart and strength.  He reached a hand out and touched the stone arm.  He looked down at the base of the statue, and read its inscription:

_To our dear friend Goku_

_A great man, forever and ever_

                Footsteps came up from behind, but Gohan paid no heed to them.  He knew who it was.  He knew what was coming.

                "Stop moping around," the harsh voice spoke.

                "I'm sorry Vegeta," Gohan said, turning around to face him.  Vegeta crossed his arms and stepped up next to him.

                "Don't be," he said softly.  Gohan turned his head to look down at the former prince, watching him study the memorial.  "You know…I come out here from time to time."

                "Really?" Gohan asked, turning around again to face the statue.

                "Yeah.  Every time I want a decent spar, I come out here and yell at the statue for a while.  Bulma usually yells at me whenever I'm out here for a long time."  They both shared a laugh.

                "I see.  It would be nice to see him one last time.  I saw something like that earlier today."

                "With who?"

                "My friend Videl.  I saw her go to the hospital.  Her mom has been in a coma there for a while."

                "I know.  Bulma told me.  Her and your mother has spoken a lot about this girl recently."

                "Do you know what they said?"

                "Well, despite the fact that her father is that fool of an ape, they seem to like her a lot.  I haven't met her, but from what I've heard, she sounds good for my own reasons."

                "Like what?"

                "Hmm…for child birth, for first," he said.  Gohan immediately turned red, which was the reaction that Vegeta was gunning for.

                "Not you too!" Gohan shouted.

                "Don't worry," Vegeta said, his laughter dying down.  "She's a strong woman.  She'd be perfect for a Saiyan like you."

                "Thank you," Gohan, blushing slightly at the comment.

                "I've heard about this current predicament," Vegeta said, changing the topic.  "You know, I would gladly just charge in there and blow them to kingdom come."

                "I know you would.  I was actually beginning to think that you were getting soft too."  Vegeta turned a heated glare to Gohan.

                "Be quiet, before you know what is coming to you."

                "Sorry."

                "Good," he said, reasserting control.  "You have a plan though, correct?"  Gohan nodded.  "Let's hear it."

                "It's simple.  When they arrive, I lead them as far away from Satan City as I possibly can.  From there, I'll take them out anyway I can, with Piccolo for support.  We each have a senzu bean, just in case.  If all else fails, I'll try to ascend and defeat them that way."  Vegeta let the plan sink into his head.

                "When was the last time you ascended?"

                "The Cell Games…I know what you're going to say too."

                "I might as well reinforce it: Why haven't you gotten off of your lazy ass and trained like a true Saiyan?"  Gohan sighed.

                "I don't know Vegeta.  I just don't know.  Maybe I lost my desire to fight when Dad died.  Who knows?  No excuse will make an acceptable answer though."

                "Damn right."  He turned around to walk back into the house, leaving Gohan at the memorial.  He stopped for a moment and turned his head slightly.

                "I'll bring Trunks, just incase the battle goes for worse."

                "Thank you, Vegeta."

                "Go home and get some rest now, Gohan.  You'll need it for tonight."  With that, he went inside, leaving Gohan at the memorial of his father, watching the last ray of light strike his face before being covered by darkness.  Two storms were beginning.  He hoped that one would go his way.

* * *

                It was five o'clock at the Son house when the state of emergency announced itself on the TV.  Gohan, with his family, sat down and watched as the news anchor gave detailed instructions for what was happening tonight.  He smiled inside, thanking Videl for a job well done, even though he knew some media members would try and catch a glimpse of the fight.  That was why he planned to get away from Satan City: to protect the people and to keep the risk takers – or Idiots – from interfering.

                Satisfied with the announcement, they got up and went to the kitchen to eat a somewhat early dinner.  Goten was busy chopping away at his rice and noodles, while the saner members of the family ate theirs at a reasonable pace.  Gohan stared at the carefree kid and began to wonder why he didn't have a childhood like that.  A small smile showed up at his face, which Chichi noticed.

                "Gohan," she said, keeping her voice down.  "Are you all right?"

                "Yeah mom…why do you ask?"  She sighed.

                "I'm just making sure.  I want you to be careful tonight, okay?"

                "Okay mom.  I know I'll be safe anyway.  I got three people backing me up, just incase all else fails."

                "Then why not let them fight?" she asked, raising her voice.

                "I'm doing this for Shinji.  If I fail, then he dies."  He turned away from her and went to his meal.

                "Gohan…I'm sorry.  I don't want you to die though.  And I don't want you to get all these negative thoughts boiling in your head.  It'll cause nothing but trouble."

                "I know mom."  He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling.  Gohan took a deep breath, and faced forward again.  "I'm sorry."  They went back to their food for a few minutes, eating in silence.

                "I'm doing this for more than Shinji," Gohan said, breaking the silence.

                "Then for who?" Chichi asked.  Gohan turned to look at the answer.  It was Goten, who was completely unaware of the conversation that was taking place.

                "I want his life to be easier than mine, Mom.  He doesn't deserve to get caught up in this mess.  He's only a kid."  He finished his last bite and got up, making his way to the living room.  Chichi got up and followed him there.

                "Gohan…I want to give you something.  Follow me."  She walked towards the stairs with Gohan in tow.  They ended in front of Chichi's room on the second floor.

                "What is it mom?" he asked, curious.  Without an answer, she went inside, beckoning him to come.  He slowly walked in and watched her go through a closet.  It was one of his father's closets.  He saw her pulled back slightly, enough to see her face.  She gave off a satisfied smile, and reached forward again, only to pull back.

                "Here.  This should fit you," she said.  Gohan stared on in shock.

                It was one of his Dad's training uniforms.

                "Mom –"

                "Quiet Gohan," she said, hushing him.  "Wear this tonight, and make your father proud."  Chichi placed the uniform in her son's hands, and stepped back.  He looked down at her and hugged her.

                "Thank you, Mom," he said, a tear briefly showing in his eye.

                "Go try it on Gohan," she said, stepping back.  "I want to see what you look like in it."

                "Okay Mom."  He went off to put it on.  Chichi, meanwhile, went downstairs to the living room, where Goten was sitting on the floor, watching the TV.  She patted his head while passing him to go sit on the couch.

                A few minutes later, Gohan entered the room.  Chichi stood up, too speechless to say anything.  The uniform was a perfect fit.  Goten ran over to his older brother, tugging on his pant leg.

                "Gohan, whose is that?  I've never seen that one before."  Gohan laughed.

                "Yes you have.  It's like the one you usually wear."

                "Really?  So that one is mine?  But how does it fit you?"  The young boy's curiosity brought a deep smile to his face.

                "No Goten, I didn't make a super sized version of yours.  It is one of Dad's uniforms.  Mom thought it would help tonight," he said, looking down at Goten.  He turned his gaze at his mother.  "It will help tonight," he finished.  He looked back down to Goten.  "I have to go now squirt.  Stay her with Mom tonight and protect her, okay?"  Goten snapped to attention, his bubbly actions a moment ago gone.

                "Yes sir!" he shouted out.  He then began marching to the left and to the right, showing his intent of protecting his mom.  At second glance, he looked to be protecting the kitchen for than protecting his mom.  Chichi and Gohan both got a good laugh out of his antics.

                "I'm going to go, Mom.  If all goes well, I'll be back in a few hours."  She brought a finger to his lips.

                "Not if.  You still doubt yourself.  Repeat after me: It will go well.  I will win."

                "It will go well.  I will win," he repeated, no mock tone in his voice.

                "Good.  Now go."  She gave him a quick hug and walked him out to the door.  They looked at the time once more before exiting.  It was five twenty-five.  The fight would begin in under an hour.

* * *

                Gohan stood silently on a hill overlooking Satan City.  A soft breeze had started, and his black hair flowed with the wind.  His belt and uniform did the same.  He looked at the outskirts of the city and saw the various police barricades.  He took a more focused look.  No Videl.

                "Good," he said softly.  "She won't get in the way.  Better to be at home now anyway."  He looked out to the horizon.  The sun, barely visible through the rain clouds, wouldn't set for another ten minutes, and that gave him some time to finalize his actions.  He felt Piccolo land behind him, so he turned to greet him.

                "For a moment there kid, I though it was Goku standing there," the Namek said.

                "It was Mom's idea."

                "Chichi has changed a bit I see."

                "I know.  She has surprised me recently…told me to take whatever spare time I can to train to protect my friends."

                "As you humans would say it, 'Mother knows best'," Piccolo said with a smirk.  Gohan let a small smile set on his face.

                "I'm surprised that you would say that.  I know you like this planet and all, but these people are really simple minded at times."

                "I'll whip them into shape then.  What else can I do?"

                "Don't let Vegeta know.  He likes this place a lot as well.  He's lightened up a bit now too."

                "I guess that's what happens when you have a family.  The rules change slightly."  They both remained silent for a moment.  Gohan turned out to the horizon again and saw the sun starting its descent into the night sky.  It was only minutes away from the fight.

                "You should get going now Piccolo.  I'll be all right to start with."

                "Very well.  Good luck kid."  He lifted off and flew away from the city.  Gohan stayed on his power for a while, keeping track of where his friend and mentor was going.  He stopped about twenty miles away.  _Good…I was aiming for that spot._  He looked out to the sun again.  The final visible rays of light that could be seen through the clouds had disappeared.

                It was time.

                "All right then," Gohan said, quickly transforming into a Super Saiyan.  He felt no need to let this fight get out of hand.  He told himself to stick to the plan and hope that he didn't have to ascend.  He would know soon enough.

                After a few minutes of darkness, a bright light popped out of nowhere about forty feet from Gohan.  He only turned his head to it.  The light dissipated after a few moments to reveal two men.  The pair immediately spotted Gohan and casually floated over to face him on the hill.

                "So you're that worthless human's friend, huh?" Kaou said.  Gohan didn't respond at all.  "Hmm…doesn't matter to me.  I'll enjoy breaking you apart tonight."

                "That won't happen," Gohan said with a smirk.

                "And why is that?"

                "Because I will be the one who destroys you."  Kaou titled his head back slightly and laughed.

                "You really think so, you pathetic human?  I don't know why Gendo didn't take care of you before.  Hell, he came back crying like a youngling.  You humans are all the same."

                "You are wrong on that assessment."

                "And why is that?" Kaou asked.  Gohan let his smirk set in more.

                "Cause I'm not completely human."

                "Really now?  Then this makes this fight more fun.  It'll give us more a challenge than what we had yesterday.  By the way, you have less than ten hours left until he dies.  I wanted to wait until around the middle of the night, but Zaou here was antsy for some fighting.  I guess he just wanted to get it over with.  It would have given you a smaller window to save your friend, you know."

                "I must thank Zaou then.  But enough talk."

                "If that's the way you like it, then be my guest."  With that, Kaou jumped forward, looking to score the first hit.  He drove his fist forward and hit nothing but air.  A sharp elbow dropped him to the ground.  Zaou came up from behind Gohan, looking for a quick sneak attack, but the Saiyan hit him with a spinning hammer fist, sending his opponent for a midair spin before slamming into the ground.

                Capitalizing on the opportunity, Gohan jumped into the air, flying away from the city.  He kept an eye on their energy levels, preparing to fight them again when he was a good distance away.

                Back at the outskirts of the city, Kaou and Zaou stood up groggily.  Kaou looked out to where there was a gold streak in the sky, showing where his current adversary as at.

                "That coward.  Why did he run?!"  Kaou shouted out.  He looked to Zaou for an answer.  "Yeah…I figured that he wanted to get away from the city Zaou.  He's pretty good though, much better than Shinji.  We're going to have to be careful with him."  A pause.  "Don't sweat it, brother.  We'll use that as a last resort.  I do think it makes our Mind Games attack much more devastating.  Come now, we have a freak to catch."

                The pair quickly jumped into the air, hot on Gohan's trail.  The Saiyan teen, meanwhile, had stopped about five miles away from the first encounter.  He floated in midair, awaiting their arrival.  He spotted them a few minutes later, flying quickly to fight Gohan again.  They stopped several feet away from him.

                "I see where you're going with this boy.  A real pacifist at heart, huh?  It won't get you anywhere against us!" Kaou taunted.

                "Then let's end this now."

                "Let's."  With that the three flew at each other, and the next round began.  A flash of light erupted as they collided, and as it dissipated, a brisk punching match ensued.  Gohan spent most of his time blocking the attacks of the brothers, but managed to get in some harsh hits.  Kaou and Zaou had no such luck in finding a hole in Gohan's defense, wondering how powerful their opponent really was.

                Zaou was the first to fall, receiving a brutal hook to his jaw, which sent him flying several hundred feet away.  Kaou quickly flew backwards, gaining some distance between himself and Gohan.  They floated and engaged in a staring match, hoping to catch the other off guard.  Kaou ended it by briskly moving towards Gohan, throwing a knee in his direction.  Gohan blocked it with his fist, and then blocked a punch from Kaou.  He pushed him off and threw a roundhouse at Kaou, hitting him and sending him straight into the ground.  He followed that up with a weak energy blast, leaving a small dust bowl in its wake.

                Gohan floated down to the ground and landed outside of the crater.  A swirl of energy exploded from its center, but it didn't faze him.  He kept watch the whole time, as Kaou eventually floated out of the hole.  He had bruises on various parts of his body, and his pants and vest had received some cuts.

                "Now that was cheap," he quipped.

                "I really don't think so," Gohan responded.  "Attacking two on one is cheap.  I was only defending myself.  Surely you must realize that."

                "I do.  I must say, you are a strong opponent.  Too bad I won't be able to let you live.  I was thinking about letting you join us, but I see you have too good of a heart.  That is something I rarely see."

                "Thank you, I think.  I never got a compliment from an enemy before."

                "I had to.  Your life will end shortly."

                "Enough of that.  You have proven nothing with your power so far which would be my end," Gohan said, taking a step back, deepening his stance.  "Either find a way or I'll shove it all back down your throat."

                "Very well."  Kaou flew forward, leading with his foot.  Gohan caught it, and then quickly dodged a roundhouse from Kaou opposite leg.  He pushed his leg off and nearly connected with a bicycle kick.  Kaou neatly dodged that and went back on the offensive.  Gohan, now enjoying this little match, had landed on his hands from the previous attack.  He twisted around on his hands and pushed off, leading with his leg.  It hit Kaou's chin, who had also landed a hard jab into Gohan's stomach.  It barely fazed the Saiyan.  His kick, at the moment, had left Kaou severely disoriented.

                Gohan landed a few feet back from where Kaou had fallen.  He stretched his senses out to find his other opponent, and found Zaou attempting to sneak up from behind.  He smirked and immediately turned, raising his arm up right before a foot impacted it.  Zaou tried to drive further into the attack, but couldn't, as Gohan's forearm block proved to be the deterring point.  Quicker than the eye can see, Gohan snapped his arm out, twisting it and latching onto Zaou's leg.  The teen pivoted around and slammed his opponent into the ground.  Gohan stepped back and stared down at his opponents, both nearly out for the count.

                "That was too easy," he said, looking at his handy work.  "It's unfortunate that I have to do what I must do."  He extended his arm out to finish the fight, but stopped for a moment as the brothers slowly stood up out of the ground.  He remained fixated in that position and wondered how both had survived attacks like that.

                "You really think…you could finish us off that easily?" Kaou said, standing tall and brushing himself off.  Zaou did the same and walked backwards to where his brother was.  "Now watch and learn, boy.  Zaou, let's do this."  He nodded, and they stood next to each other in a parallel stance.  They then extended an arm out towards each other: Kaou his left arm and Zaou his right arm.  Their palms faced out with a gap of only a few inches in between.  Electric shots began dancing between the palms, and as Gohan watched intently, he saw what appeared to be a fazing between them.

                _What are they doing?  It's like they're falling apart at the seams._  It was the complete opposite, though.  As the shocks continued, both brothers dropped into a parallel stance, with their back legs straight and their legs closest to each other bent.  Their upper bodies turned to face each other, and the arms that weren't in use were now exactly like their other arms.  Electricity shot from the sky and all around them, and a brutal wind kicked up as well.  Gohan was forced to cover his eyes and dropped back a step.  _Damn it!  I got to stop them from whatever they're doing!_

                He stepped back and cupped his hands to his side, preparing what hoped to be the final attack.  Gohan started yelling out the word, quickly gathering as much energy as he can.  Before he could reach the end of his chant, an explosion erupted from the middle of the two enemies, and a cry was heard:

                "FUSION!"

                The explosion sent Gohan off of his feet and disrupted his Kamehameha Wave.  He slid back several feet before grinding to a halt.  He looked up into the exploding light and covered his eyes, unable to see beyond the outer layer of the light.  It was a grim mistake, for he would have seen two shadows within the light become one.

                The light soon dissipated away, and Gohan climbed up to his feet.  The wind continued on slightly, mixing in with the wind of the arriving rainstorm.  Slowly he removed his arm from his eyes, and immediately he dropped into a stance.  He scanned his opponents – or rather, opponent.  The two men had become one.  The basic features remained the same: the bluish hint of the skin; the gray Mohawk, though now slightly longer than before; and the black and white vest and pants.  The figure now had a second pair of earrings to show the original markings of the brothers.  Two changes caught Gohan's eyes and senses: the increase in size of the opponent, and the immense increase in power.

                _Three…no!  Nearly four times more powerful than before?!  Impossible!_  As he thought this, a thick laughter filled the air.

                "So, boy…you think you had bested me, huh?" the man said, his voice deeper than Kaou's.  Gohan's inner panic had now ceased, and his Saiyan side, evident in the early battle, had returned to the forefront.

                "At first, yeah.  But now, this should be more fun.  I can probably break a sweat tonight."

                "Really now?  That gives me some more breaking to do then."  He dropped back into a stance, preparing to both defend and strike.  "Allow me to introduce myself now.  My name is Super Kauou: the fusion of Kaou and Zaou.  The strength of this form is more than doubled their original forms.  I am the perfect warrior."  Gohan let out a little chuckle.

                "Perfect warrior, huh?  That's funny, since I've defeated the supposed 'perfect warrior' over six years ago.  Hell, now that I think about it, he was stronger than you."

                "Silence, you insolent pest!  How dare you mock my fighting prowess!" Kauou yelled out, flying forward and attacking with an energy filled punch.  Gohan slid backwards and met the punch with his own.  Energy and light began anew, kicking up dust and debris.  The rain had begun falling several minutes before, slowly at first, but now had a strong steady rainfall.  It cut through the dust and created a muddy landscape beneath the fighter's feet.

                Gohan slowly started loosing ground, as Super Kauou's pushing power was more than the Saiyan's at this point.  He slid on his balls of his foot through the mud.  He quickly changed that, pushing himself off of the ground and flying forward, connecting on a punch to Kauou's jaw.  Gohan flew around and fired an energy blast into his back, but Kauou had quickly recovered and turned to deflect the blast towards the atmosphere.  They then flew at each other and immediately launched into a heated assault of punches and kicks.

                Kauou soon gained the upper hand and started connecting on a few punches.  Gohan realized it too.  His opponent simply had more endurance than him at this point, and while their power levels were nearly equal, one of them had to give.  He let the thinking go to his head though and ended up getting sent into a hill with a hard kick to his stomach.  Kauou followed that up with a massive energy ball and launched it at Gohan.  The teen could only stare at it as the ball prepared to hit, but never felt it.  A piercing energy attack struck the side of the ball and sent it flying off into a mountain.  Both Gohan and Super Kauou turned in the direction of the blast, and both saw the same thing:

                "Piccolo!"

                "A Namek?  On this planet?  How interesting."

                It was Piccolo who had arrived on the scene, sensing the battle from his designated spot.  He knew he had to join the battle once he felt the massive spike of energy from the two enemy fighters.  He was there not a moment too late.

                "Gohan, sit this one out for now.  I'll take care of him," he said, removing his turban and cape.  He flew up to a small knoll several yards away from Super Kauou.

                "You think you have a chance against me, Namek?  That boy felt a piece of my power.  You sure you want it?" he said, laughing.

                "Shut up you damn fool.  Let's do this."  With that, Piccolo flew forward, preparing to strike.  He flew straight at Kauou, who was looking rather bored with the current choice of foe.  He was reaching out to block when suddenly, Piccolo fazed out.  Kauou looked around, attempting to see or feel the Namek.  He spotted him one second too late, as Piccolo slammed into his neck with a flying sidekick.  He flipped backward and threw a barrage of energy balls at the stumbling enemy, hitting him several times and creating a crater of mud and water.  Debris erupted up into the air, and the fight was at a standstill for the moment.

                Piccolo landed a few feet away from the crater.  He reached out with his senses to determine the current status of his opponent.  _I know he is stronger than me,_ he thought.  _I doubt that attack would keep him down for long.  I just need to buy time for Gohan to recover and for Vegeta to arrive._

                No sooner than he finished his thoughts did a large eruption of energy shot out from the crater.  Piccolo took two steps back and remained wary, keeping his eyes on the settling mud and debris.  A few seconds later, he saw Super Kauou float out of the hole.  He cracked his neck: first to the left, and then to the right.

                "You know Namek…I think I actually felt that one.  I believe it's my turn now."  With that, he fazed out of sight.  Piccolo took a defensive step back, but it didn't matter.  He received a massive blow to his stomach from a speedy, powerful punch, courtesy of Kauou.  He hunched over and grabbed his stomach, searching for air.  He never saw the kick that slammed into his jaw and sent him flying off into a mountain some distance away.  Piccolo was out cold and done for the fight.

                Gohan chose this time to reenter the fight; quickly swooping in and delivering a shoulder strike to Kauou spine.  The large enemy was whipped forward by the strength of the attack, but recovered relatively fast.  He turned and threw an energy blast at Gohan, who easily knocked it away with his hand.  He wasn't deterred, and forced Kauou onto the defensive, launching into an attack of quick jabs and hooks.  Kauou managed to block the majority of them, but unlike before, some of the strikes were hitting him.  He was done in by a kick that Gohan sneakily got in, putting him through a mountain next to where Piccolo laid.

                Gohan quickly flew towards the mountain, looking to continue the fight.  Just as he reached it, however, a new burst of energy erupted.  Out of the smoking rubble came Super Kauou, looking more pissed off than he ever has.

                "Enough!" he shouted.  "This game ends now!"  He placed his hands out in front of him in the form of a diamond and began channeling energy.  Gohan, knocked back by the explosion, saw too late what Kauou was planning.

                "MIND GAMES!"  The red diamond shot forward.  Gohan quickly threw his hands forward and pushed all his energy in that direction, hoping to disrupt the blast.

                It didn't.

                It fazed right through his energy and straight to his mind.  He grabbed his head, as the pain quickly shot throughout it.

                The last thing he remembered before loosing consciousness was getting kicked to the ground by Super Kauou, and Vegeta flying in for the rescue…

…

                _"Where am I?" the boy asked, looking around at his surroundings.  At first, he didn't know where he was.  That was until he recognized a rock face that was created by a strong burst of energy.  He looked around some more and saw the desert landscape.  Then it hit him._

_                "I'm at the Cell Games.  But why?"  He spotted a body on the ground.  He walked to it and recognized who it was immediately._

_                "Trunks," the boy said.  He checked for a pulse.  None.  The hole in his chest clearly showed his condition.  He looked up and spotted another body.  He got up and walked over to it._

_                "Eighteen," he said.  Again, he checked for a pulse.  He found one, but barely.  He reasoned that her cybernetic parts were keeping her alive.  Looking up, he saw something that wasn't supposed to be there._

_                "What the hell?" he muttered.  Before him were all the bodies of his comrades.  He ran to Vegeta._

_                Punctured lung: slowly bleeding to death.  He ran to Piccolo._

_                Hole in his head: presumably dead.  He ran to Krillin._

_                Punctured heart: dead.  He ran to Tien and to Yamcha._

_                "Dead.  They're all dead."  And that's when the laughter started._

_                The boy turned towards the laughter.  His eyes did a double take.  It was Perfect Cell._

_                "So boy, it's just us now.  All your pesky friends were beginning to get on my nerves, so I had to get rid of them.  Too bad though, since they would have seen how much you failed them!"  The boy stepped back and looked around, fear evident in his eyes._

_                "No…it isn't my fault.  It isn't my fault.  It isn't my fault."  He repeated that mantra over and over again, tears threatening to break in his eyes._

_                "Yes boy.  It is your entire fault.  All your friends are dead, and your father is dead as well.  It's your turn now."  The boy looked up to Cell.  He saw him rise up a single finger.  He didn't move at all as the death ray pierced his heart…_

…

                He woke up screaming.  "It was all a dream," he said to himself, wiping his head of the cold sweat that was developing.  He heard a pair of feet running up the stairs.  He looked to the door just as it swung open, revealing a middle-aged woman.

                "I heard you scream.  Are you all right?" she asked.

                "Yeah Mom.  It was a nightmare.  I'll live."

                "That's good," she said, walking over to him and checking his head.  "You have a bit of a fever, son.  Go ahead and stay in bed today.  I'll come back in about fifteen minutes with your dinner."

                "Thanks Mom," the boy said.  His mom left the room with a smile and closed the door behind him.  He laid back down on his bed, placing his hands behind his head and grinning a bit.

                "I think I like this," he said.  He felt something picking at the back of his head though.  "Something isn't exactly right."  He got out of bed and walked to the window.  He looked outside and saw the peacefulness and tranquility of the yard.  He saw a boy lazily chasing a butterfly, giggling the whole time.

                "Nothing wrong there, I think."  He walked over to the closet and opened it.  Again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

                "What is wrong then?" he asked out loud.

                "Maybe it's something with your mind, son."  The boy was shocked to hear this voice.  He turned around and saw a man standing by the door.

                "Who are you?" he asked, forgetting that the man had just called him his son.

                "Like I said…it's probably something with your mind, _son_."

                _Son?_  "Dad?" the boy asked.

                "Good.  We're getting somewhere now."

                "Wait…you're dead!"  The man laughed out loud at his son's statement.

                "Ding-ding-ding!  Give that boy a prize!"  He stopped laughing and walked up to the boy.  "Gohan, wake up."

                _Gohan?_  "Gohan…who is 'Gohan'?"

                "You are Gohan, Gohan.  It appears that you forgot your name.  It's a good thing I came when I did too."       

                "What's happening?" he asked.

                "Let's see…the guy you were fighting hit you with this mind attack.  You are currently unconscious in the outside world while in here, you are living a lie."

                "But…that's impossible!"

                "How can it be impossible?  Remember…I'm dead."

                _He's dead?  But he doesn't have a halo.  Unless…_  "Tell me…is what you are telling me all true?"

                "Yes Gohan.  I know this because I sensed that you were forgetting something.  I saw that you had this strange feeling of want, and now you got it."

                "I see."  He thought over what his father had said, wondering if it was all true.

                "If you care to know, I've been watching the battle.  King Kai told me about a battle occurring on Earth, so we checked it out.  He sent me here to get you going again," he said, seeing through his son's hesitance.

                "All right, so I'm in this dream world.  How do I get out of it?"

                "Hmm…oh!  I know!  You supposedly just had a nightmare, right?"  Gohan nodded.  "Okay…um, this is hard."  He started rubbing his chin, trying to figure out something.

                "Well, can you at least tell me what's happening outside?"

                "Hold on."  He closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them up.  "Vegeta is beating up the guy real good."

                "Damn it.  I have a reason to be out there!  What is it though?"  His father cleared his throat.

                "If I may."  Gohan looked on at him confused.  "The reason that you are fighting today is for Shinji, who was hit with the same attack as you.  The difference between you and Shinji is that you've lived through your failures.  You know what failure is and yet you've succeeded in defeating that.  Never forget how proud I am of you.  That is your fuel.  Now get back out there and save him."

                "I will, Dad.  I will…"

…

                Gohan slowly opened his eyes.  He still felt a sharp sting of pain in his head, but now wasn't the time to complain.  He had to rise to his feet and finally defeat Kauou.  He pushed up on his hands and rested on his knees.  The sweat from his brow mixed in with the rain as it slowly dripped off his face.  He took one of his hands to wipe off some of it, though it was a futile effort, seeing as the rain continued to pound down on the battle surface.  He ignored it though and struggled on.

                He pushed back on his hands slightly and brought up a leg, placing his foot on the muddy ground.  The pain his head intensified, trying to keep him from standing.  It spoke in volumes.  It wanted him to fail.

                "No," he muttered.  He pushed on his bent leg and slowly stood up.  The pain in his head tripled in size, yet it did not stop Gohan.

                "No," he said louder.  He was hunched over, trying to push himself up even more.  He wanted to stand tall.  He forced the pain to the back of his mind, yet it was a battle to do so.  Every time he pushed, the pain pushed harder.  He pushed back twice as hard, and yet the pain would strike back even harder, until Gohan snapped.

                "ENOUGH!" he screamed out, standing fully erect and shooting out his energy around him.  The pain continued to pound, trying to win the battle, but Gohan would not let it.  He would not give in.  He failed before, but he would not do so now.

                It was then that the battle between Vegeta and Super Kauou stopped.  Vegeta held up his opponent in the air while looking over at the surging power that Gohan was creating.  He smirked and looked over to Kauou, who had seen better days.

                "As you can see, nothing defeats a true Saiyan warrior.  That trickery that you did will never keep one of us down, especially him.  I enjoyed this little game we played, so I think I'll leave you with his trusting hands."  That said, Vegeta went and tossed Kauou over to where Gohan was standing.  He looked up to the teen and struggled to his feet.

                "How…how is it that you stand after my Mind Games Attack, boy?" he spat out.  Gohan grinned, but in pain.

                "Simple, though I think I'll tell you in the after life."

                "How so?  Your power level has dropped significantly because of my attack.  Even after that beating your friend gave me, you are nowhere close enough to defeating me."

                "Is that so?" Gohan said.  He glanced up to his hair and understood why he wasn't as strong.  "I see that I'm no longer a Super Saiyan.  I think I'll change that…in fact, I'll take it up to the next level just to finish you off."  With that, he flexed his arms and transformed, quickly turning Super Saiyan.  He didn't stop there, though.  He bent over slightly, searching deep for what would truly help him.  He saw it in front of him.

                "What are you staring at boy?  Is this all you got?!"

                "No, it isn't, _Kau-ou_!" Gohan said, emphasizing his name.  "You messed with my mind and my friend's mind, and you killed innocent people!  I draw the line here, Kauou!  I draw the line HERE!"  With a final scream, he snapped.  All the grief and failure caused by Kaou and Zaou, and now Super Kauou, all reached a singular point before erupting outward.  The result was Gohan reaching deep within himself and gathering all the surrounding energy.  It exploded outward, blinding anyone who was at least a mile away from the blast radius.  A crater was created, reaching close to five hundred yards at its widest.

                To Super Kauou, it felt like forever.  Finally, it stopped.  His eyes, after a few moments, were able to see again.  He turned to look at Gohan, and immediately he was dumbfounded.

                "Such a power increase…impossible!"  Gohan smirked.

                "Believe it.  This is an Ascended Super Saiyan.  You should be happy.  You're only the second opponent that I've ever faced in this form."  He started walking forward, looking to end this fight once and for all.  His tail, which was kept wrapped around his waist for safekeeping, was unfurled.  Its slow swaying movement clearly showed Gohan's seriousness.

                "Damn it!  That's it!  MIND GAMES!" Kauou cried out, quickly sending out the red diamond at Gohan's direction.  The Saiyan just let it go through him and continued walking.  "Why doesn't it work?!"

                "You yourself should know what this attack does.  It goes after the opponent's failures, or his predictable failures, and magnifies it.  Only a person who has faced their failures and experienced the burden of loss will not be affected.  Of course, I got a little help from above.  But enough of that.  I tire of this game."  Gohan dropped his leg back and turned his hips.  He cups his hands at his side and started his chant.

                "Ka!  Me!"

                Super Kauou had seen enough.  He quickly turned tail and flew off into the rainy night, wanting to get away.

                "Ha!  Me!"  A ball of energy formed in his hands.  He looked up and saw Kauou out in the sky, about two miles away now.  _Thought he could get away now, huh?_  Locking onto this energy signature, he disappeared, only to reappear in front of Kauou.

                "What's this?!" he cried out, screeching to a halt.  Gohan smirked at his foe before becoming serious once more.

                "HA!" he shouted, thrusting his arms forward and releasing the ball of energy.  Kauou screamed in agony, trying in vain to block the attack.  The wave went right through his arms and blew right through him.  His cries had ceased as his body turned into dust.  Super Kauou was finished.

                Gohan floated down to the ground, still in his Super Saiyan Two form.  He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the last of Kauou's attack filter away.  He turned to look at Vegeta, who had retrieved an unconscious Piccolo.  He walked over to him.

                "Thank you, Vegeta."

                "Save it Gohan.  This should have been child's play today for you."  He turned away from Gohan and started walking towards the direction of the Lookout.  "Still," he said, turning his head slightly, "You did good today, despite you having slowed in your training.  Tell me, how did you get out of that attack?"  Gohan walked up beside Vegeta and stared straight ahead.

                "It was my Dad, yet again.  It was strange, really.  I was lost in my own mind, and he came and got me out."

                "Kakarot…he still has a few tricks up his sleeve, especially in Other World.  Come now.  We have to get to the Lookout and get this broccoli back in shape."  Gohan let out a slight chuckle to Vegeta's use of name for Piccolo.  They soon lifted off and flew towards the Lookout.

                As they did, the rain finally stopped.

* * *

                "So that's how it's done, huh?" Shinji asked, sitting in his bed on the Lookout.  Two days went by, and Shinji was back to his normal self.  He was kept up at the Lookout – at Dende's request – to make a full recovery.  He was scheduled to leave today.

                "Yeah.  I have a feeling that those two and Gendo weren't the last of them.  Hell, I expect Gendo to come back again.  We'll be ready for him when he does though," Gohan said.  He had come up to the Lookout to check on his friend.  He didn't get the chance to talk to him after the battle two days before as Shinji was sleeping soundly for once.

                "We will.  I doubt I'll get to the power level that he's at, even if it is an evil power.  Now tell me…did anything happen with Videl?" he inquired.  Gohan blushed slightly.

                "Well…a lot did, but not with me.  With Saiyaman.  I, um…kind of turned her down as him."

                "You did what?!"

                "Shinji, it was for the best.  At least…for now.  I can't have her in love with my other identity.  I need her to focus on me.  Call me selfish, but this way is better.  Besides, you and I both know that she is developing something for the real me."

                "I know.  So when are you going to tell her…about everything?"

                "Beats me.  It's only the beginning of November anyway.  We've all known each other for just two months or so anyway.  I guess…I just need more time, that's all."

                "Respectable.  Now go get Dende; I want to leave," Shinji said, feeling a little too antsy to get back into the real world.

                "Sure thing.  By the way…Krillin said that you're turning seventeen in a few days."

                "He did?!  Shit…I guess I'm done for."  Gohan laughed.

                "Yeah.  Seventeen Saiyan punches coming right up!"

                "No!  The agony!  Wait!  Wait!  I want to stay!  I want to stay!"  Gohan was on the floor now balling his eyes out in laughter.

                "Too…late for that, Shinji.  Now come on; everyone down there misses you."  With that, Gohan left the room.  Shinji stood up and put on his clothes, and then he walked to the window.

                "He's right.  It'll be great seeing everyone again."  With that, he left the room, ready to return to his life again.

* * *

Responses to reviews:

Andromeda of the Moon – Thank you for liking this story and reviewing it.  To tell you the truth, I really don't know why I decided to entitle this story like I did.  I kind of wanted a long title for it, and I ended up with that.  It really doesn't make sense, once you think about, especially with how I'm set upon doing this story.  I don't plan on changing the title, as it would require me to go back and change it through all the chapters I've posted so far, plus change it on my web page.  Oh yeah, I'm that lazy.  I really can't think of anything else either.

                Like you, I never saw any OC's being trained by Krillin and Master Roshi either.  It kind of fits with what I wanted to do too.  I have my own view with Gohan being drunk, though.  It was his first time, and whether or not he's a Saiyan or not, a first time drinker who has drank enough will get drunk.  I got drunk off of four beers the first time I drank, and I am a fairly heavy guy.  Also, and to prove my geekiness to the world, I was watching an episode of Star Trek: Voyager once and the crew were having a party.  Seven of Nine had one glass of champagne and was out of it.  Either way, we have our own opinions of Gohan being drunk.  I respect your opinion, and don't worry; it has no effect on the coming story.

RDBRaptor – Yes, I did say most loyal reviewer.  You've been there since the beginning, and I thank you for that.  There is no need to worry about 'Saiyaboy', however.  It was a one-time plot device.  As for the Mind Games Attack, well, I went more in depth here with it.  I had planned out this fight for a while, and I actually had to take out a few spots of it cause it would have went too long.  I guess that little mind sequence helped out a bit and moved away from the fight scene for a brief moment to settle things down.

DemonDancing – I'm glad that it makes more sense to you now.  I still have much more development for Shinji, but that won't be until the first few chapters of Part Two.  As for your idea of adding a summary, I will do that, but not now.  I thought about what you said and I decided on doing a massive summary of the first part at the beginning of Part Two.  For now though, I try my best to recap events of the previous chapters in the updated chapter.

Watchful Falcon – You know, I noticed that too.  However, there are two parties to blame: myself, and ff.net.  For my part, some of the narration was a bit screwy.  I just wanted to get that chapter out as fast as I possibly could, and when I went to beta it, I noticed that.  Again, my laziness has shown through.  For the other half of the blame, it was some sort of loading error.  I use italics for inner thought and flashback sequences, and for some odd reason, over half of them didn't load up when I originally did it.  After editing the chapter, I went to upload it only to see that half of the italics didn't show up again.  So I left it as that.  I have the original version of the chapter up on my web page.  Of course, I also mentioned that at the beginning chapter six.  Oh well.  I'll fix that at some later time.

Tabi Chan – Yes, I hate cliffhangers too.  They are a major mainstay in American literature, and they are a pain.  However, I fail to see the end of that chapter as a cliffhanger.  For starters, I tied up everything I could when finishing up that chapter.  Also, that chapter was long.  I mean it.  It clocked in, without my usual author's notes, at fourteen thousand plus words.  If you thought that was enough, I also gave fair warning back in chapter _five_ that chapter six and seven was a two-part arc.  Still, thank you for both of your reviews, and I do hope that you liked this chapter.

To everyone else: Thanks.

I ask this only once: if you didn't read the opening author's rant, please do so now.  It is very, very important.  I have nothing to report down here, so now, on with next chapter's preview.  Until next time, peace.

Next chapter: After a long development of trust, Videl decides that it's finally time for Gohan to meet her mother.  Upon seeing her, Gohan comes to a realization that could change Videl's life forever.  Meanwhile, Videl confronts the person that changed her life three years before, and learns something that will change her life and bring her a new perception on the one person that she thought she truly knew.


End file.
